The Hindu : International : Hundreds die in Bangladesh super cyclone

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Saturday, Nov 17, 2007
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International

Hundreds die in Bangladesh super cyclone

Haroon Habib

Thousands of people injured, all district towns under knee-deep water

— Photo: AP

DEVASTATING NIGHT: A woman who lost her hut in the cyclone cries in Barishal, Bangladesh, on Friday.

DHAKA: The super cyclone Sidr ripped through Bangladesh’s southern coastline from Thursday night to early Friday, leaving behind a trail of devastation both in terms of human casualties and destruction of property.

While the official death toll released till the writing of this report on Friday night reached over 600, the figure, estimated unofficially, may rise well over to 1,000 as aid workers continued search in the heavily ravaged coastline of Barisal and Khulna.

The strongest-ever wind accompanied by high tidal surge after the 1991 great cyclone in which 1,40,000 persons died, also left thousands of persons injured and scores of houses and crop fields damaged. Contacted by this correspondent, local journalists and rescue officials in the ravaged coastline said they feared sharp rise in the death toll. Hundreds of fishing boats have failed to return to the shore as yet.

The deadly cyclone cut off communications and electricity all over Bangladesh. Most of the towns and the capital suffered the longest-ever blackout in recent history. The Met office here said the storm packing winds of 250 kmph continued its severest onslaught on the coastal districts from 5:30 p.m. on Thursday to early Friday.

Reports said the low-lying coastal district of Barguna was the worst hit, where the death count rose to nearly 200, while most of the casualties were from Barisal, Patuakhali, Bagerhat, Khulna, Gopalgong, Bhola, Satkhira and Faridpur.

At least 15 coastal districts were severely affected by the cyclone which has inundated all the district towns under knee-deep water. The cyclone blew off the roofs of houses, knocked off electricity and telephone poles and uprooted thousands of trees. The surge washed away hundreds of mud huts, destroyed crops and fish farms and killed innumerable heads of livestock. Meanwhile, the authorities re-opened the International Airport here. They also resumed operations of the Chittagong sea port after two days of suspension.

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