Dhaka: A massive Covid-19 prayer session with tens of thousands of devotees sparked an outcry in Bangladesh Wednesday as the country reported its first death from the global pandemic.

Police said some 10,000 people gathered in an open field in Raipur town in southern Bangladesh to pray "healing verses" from the Koran to rid the country of the deadly virus. Police said organisers did not get permission from authorities to hold the session.

Photos of the gathering were widely shared on social media, with experts slamming the massive rally, thestar.com said. .

Authorities have already shut schools and asked locals to avoid large gatherings in an effort to halt the spread of the disease.

Police said they had to close two beaches, including one at Cox's Bazar, the main resort district of the country, and which is home to nearly one million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.