There were reports of 28 deaths in Jhalakathi, 21 in Barisal, 18 in Madaripur, 21 in Gopalganj, 20 in Shariatpur, 12 in Khulna, 52 in Pirojpur, 25 in Bhola, four in Chandpur, three in Munshiganj, six in Faridpur, seven in Satkhira, two in Narayanganj, two in Narsingdi, one each in Habiganj, Jessore, Noakhali and Laxmipur.
Four deaths were reported in the capital Dhaka.
Official figures put the death toll at 233 in 19 districts, which exclude Barguna, Pirojpur and Jhalakathi.
Acting Secretary at food and disaster management ministry, Mohammad Ayub Miah, disclosed the casualty figures at a press briefing at PID conference room this afternoon.
Power supply suffered massive disruptions since yesterday evening as the hurricane started whipping the coastal areas, consequently tripping the local electricity grids of the districts, officials said.
Bangladesh Power Development Board chairman and other senior officials were monitoring efforts to restore power generation and supply system.
Low-lying areas of many coastal districts were inundated as storm surge whipped by raging winds washed the areas.
"It was the worst nightmare of its kind I have ever experienced," a Patuakhali police official quoted an elderly man as saying while narrating the nightlong horrors. Thousands of people were injured in the south and south-western regions and most houses there were either fully or partially damaged in the cyclonic storm, one of the worst in the country.
Thousands of people were injured in the south and south-western regions and most houses there were either fully or partially damaged in the cyclonic storm, one of the worst in the country.
In Bagerhat, road communications with all upazilas, including Swarankhola, Mongla and Morelganj, remained disrupted.
What happened to the residents in Dublar Char, including thousands of fishermen, could not be known as local administration failed to contact them. A coastguard team from Mongla set out for the offshore island in the morning.
One trawler, some passenger- and fishing-boats sank in the Mongla port channel, officials said.
A Sundarbans forest official told UNB that the cyclone wreaked havoc in the mangrove forests at the "first hit". "Our offices were damaged, boats capsized or washed away," he said.
Rescue and relief operations by district and police administrations, coastguard, army and Red Crescent started.
“We are here in the blackest black of darkness and God only knows what’s coming our way next... How many are dead? There are many more dead than the 500 reported by the Bangladesh government. Untold thousands of people are still missing and that is one reason the fatalities cannot be accurately reported.... In the villages people are out on the roads with nowhere to go, and some of them fearing each other now that they lost their homes and everything they ever had.”
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
Quote:
Significant and wide-spread storm damage is expected throughout Bangladesh. Joint assessment teams were launched, however information collection on casualty and damage figures are in the early stages and hindered as communication on off-shore islands remains cut off. Initial unconfirmed reports indicate that the death toll is over 1,100 people, with reports of over 15,000 people injured. Three coastal towns (Patuakhali, Barguna and Jhalakathi) with a combined population of 700,000 were inundated by a 5 meter (15 feet) high water surge triggered by the cyclone. Over 20,000 houses damaged in the two worst affected districts and at least 30,000 families affected in two reported districts out of the 15 hardest hit districts. Reports from Cox's Bazaar indicate that quite a number of fishermen remain missing.
Over 200 more bodies were found today in the coastal belt, including Dublar Char, Sundarbans and Bagerhat, while thousands are still reported missing after cyclone Sidr swept through the country Thursday night.
43 bodies were recovered from areas adjacent to the Sundarbans and another 11 from Rajeshwar beel in Swarankhola upazila of Bagerhat district.
The cyclone caused the country’s power system to collapse completely yesterday morning, triggering a knock-on effect on piped water supplies, telecommunication and filling station operations.
In addition to suffering the miseries inflicted by the lack of power and water supplies, people spent a day amid increasing tension and uncertainty.
The lack of power also disconnected people from any television coverage of the events; while the disruption of phone lines kept them worried about their relatives in far off districts–especially those staying in the southwestern region. For the first time in Bangladesh’s history, the BTV’s transmission was disrupted for three hours from 11:40am.
Road communication was also affected in many nooks and crannies as the cyclone uprooted many trees and structures to create blockade. This has slowed down electricity and telecom restoration works, sources in both power and telecom sectors said.
Cyclone death toll mounts to 2388 in Bangladesh (2nd Roundup)
Nov 17, 2007, 17:27 GMT
Dhaka - A grim picture emerged Saturday as a massive search and rescue operation revealed decaying bodies in southern Bangladesh tossed by a devastating cyclone that officials said left at least 2,388 people dead and hundreds missing.
More than 5,000 people were injured in the worst-affected coastal belt, rescuers said. Many devastated areas were cut off to rescuers by uprooted trees, broken culverts and fallen power poles.
About three million people spread over 15 stricken districts had become homeless as their mud and straw houses collapsed in the wild winds, according to local charities.
As thousands of soldiers and civilian volunteers went into action in the pummelled region, rescuers counted another 400 bodies of people killed in Friday's cyclone which also triggered mudslides and flash floods.
Most deaths occurred in the Patuakhali-Barisal zone and on offshore islands where nearly 550 people, including children, were found dead, said a spokesperson of the national flood warning and control centre.
Authorities were still having trouble late saturday restoring power after the national grid suffered heavily.
Tens of thousands of flooded dwellings were washed away by the tidal surges while receding from isolated marooned hamlets.
Cyclone Sidr, of hurricane strength, unleashed its full fury on the coastal belt the home of over 42,000 fishermen and their families.
The storm also struck Dhaka and its suburbs, killing 11 people and injuring 500 as trees were plucked by the raging winds which reached speeds touching 250 kilometres an hour.
The national meteorological centre warned of further heavy rains across the country in the coming days.
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