Tropical storms have killed at least 19 and swept some 1,500 fishermen out to sea along Bangladesh's southern coast.

Heavy rain and high winds uprooted trees and collapsed hundreds of thatched houses Thursday in the areas of Bhola, Hatiya and Chittagong.

Authorities say several fishing trawlers remain missing.

Such storms are common in the low-lying, densely populated nation of Bangladesh.

In June, landslides and floods triggered by monsoon rains killed at least 110 people in the south and displaced more than 60,000 people.