Cyclone Sidr blasted Bangladesh on Thursday 15 November 2007, affecting millions of people and devastating huge areas of the coast.

More than 300 people have been reported dead so far, but numbers are rising fast as the full effects of the cyclone become clear.

"This was a category four cyclone and it has caused a lot of destruction," said Samina Haq, Emergency Desk Officer at IR Headquarters. "The death toll is rising and as always, it is hard to give a precise figure in the immediate aftermath."

"We are doing emergency assessments on the ground and the primary needs are food, water shelter and medicines. Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes and there is a lot of work to do to stop the death toll rising higher."

The coastal districts of Khulna and Barisal are the worst-affected areas, with nearly 1 million people being evacuated from their homes.

Vicious 250kph winds devastated homes and uprooted trees and power poles. Communication lines are down, with some mobile networks working sporadically. This had made it difficult for aid agencies to ascertain damage and carry out relief operations in remote areas. Tidal Surge A 15ft (5m) tidal surge has devastated three coastal towns that are home to around 700,000 people. Communication is completely down in these areas and authorities are yet to hear information about casualties.

The surge has washed away hundreds of homes, destroyed crops and killed livestock.

Despite cyclone warning alerts, over 100 fishing boats did not return to shore after the cyclone hit. The UN estimates 1,000 fishermen to be missing. Nowhere to Shelter Around 10 million people live on Bangladesh's coast, but there are only enough storm shelters for around half a million people.

Many people are sheltering in concrete buildings, such as schools or mosques. Cyclone after the Monsoon Cyclone Sidr is hitting Bangladesh only months after half the country was submerged under floodwaters.

Thousands of people in cyclone-affected areas were just beginning to pick up their lives after the floods. They now face a new challenge of coping with this disaster too.

There is an urgent need for food, clean water, shelter and medicine. Islamic Relief response Islamic Relief (IR) has opened an emergency control room to deal with the breaking emergency. IR staff and local organisations are carrying out emergency assessments in 10 districts.

IR has worked in Bangladesh since 1994 and has solid experience carrying out emergency relief in the country. IR staff and volunteers have already played a part in evacuating people to safety in cyclone shelters.

IR will be launching a fundraising campaign to raise funds for the disaster.