DHAKA, 16 November 2007 (IRIN) - Hundreds of people have been confirmed dead and scores more injured after a powerful cyclone slammed into the southern coast of Bangladesh, destroying homes and forcing millions to flee.

Tropical Cyclone Sidr - packing winds of up to 220kph - struck the country on 15 November during the night, but not before the government had successfully evacuated more than three million people from their homes.

According to disaster management officials, 15 of the country's 64 districts were affected, seven of them badly, including Patuakhali, Borguna, Bhola, Barisal, Satkhira, Bagerhat, and Khulna, after tidal surges up to six metres high inundated the low-lying area.

And while an exact death toll was not immediately established, government officials warned that the numbers could rise after many residents in the area refused to leave their homes.

On 16 November morning, telephone and power lines were still down in several cyclone-hit districts, as well as in the capital Dhaka, leaving aid workers scrambling for information about affected communities.

Of particular concern were a large number of fishermen working in the coastal area at the time the category four storm struck.

At the height of the fish drying and processing season, tens of thousands of fishermen and their workers were reportedly working on remote islands off the coast. Their fate remained unknown, but a number of fishermen were confirmed dead.

Massive evacuation effort

The chief advisor's office for the government held an emergency meeting of the National Disaster Management Council and reported that 3.2 million people had been successfully evacuated to higher ground.

In 15 coastal districts, 2,148 shelters were opened, while all government offices and schools were designated for shelter.

At the same time, an inter-ministerial meeting reported that additional security measures were being taken at cyclone shelters, while a decision had been made to increase petrol allocations for police and coastguards in the area to protect homes and property of the evacuees.

Government officials were ordered to cancel leave, and more than 42,000 trained volunteers of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society and various NGOs were on the ground in the worst hit areas, along with members of the armed forces.

Bangladesh, a disaster-prone country of more than 150 million inhabitants, is no stranger to cyclones. Since 1822, it has experienced a number of these deadly storms, including the 12 November 1970 cyclone, which killed more than 500,000 people.

The country developed a network of cyclone shelters and a storm early-warning system shortly afterwards.

Meanwhile, the UN World Food Programme and an alliance of 38 pre-approved NGOs, as well as other UN agencies, deployed response teams to the affected area.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance also sent its four-member team from the regional office in Bangkok, Thailand, to Dhaka to report and coordinate support as needed, and to issue an emergency appeal if necessary.

sa/ds/sr

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