Bangladesh hit by tornado kills 66

[Wnghs2007]

April 16, 2004 9:15 AM

Bangladesh storm kills 66

NETROKONA, Bangladesh (Reuters) - Bangladeshi authorities have sent food and emergency supplies to the north as the toll from a violent
storm rises to 66 with bodies recovered from ponds, rice fields and ruined homes.

Survivors buried the dead and tended injured, many lying in the open. In several villages, mass prayers were held for the victims.

"Village after village is lying in ruins. People are still in trauma. Only the brave are trying to rebuild their lives," said Prasanta Kumar Das, a
local official in Netrokona, a town in the north near areas that bore the brunt of the storm on Wednesday night.

Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and opposition leader Sheikh Hasina were both due to visit devastated villages on Friday, officials said.

The death toll was expected to rise further as many of about 2,000 people injured in the storm were still in critical condition, officials and
witnesses said.

Hospitals were crammed with hundreds of people seeking treatment for injuries caused by flying debris.

Many were hit by corrugated tin ripped off roofs; others broke legs or hands or were found half buried in swampy rice fields, witnesses said.

"We are facing an uphill battle trying to reach all the victims and getting aid to them. There is a lot of work ahead of us," Nurul Islam, an aid
worker, said from Netrokona.

Officials said tens of thousands of people were made homeless when the tornado-speed winds tore through at least 20 villages in
Mymensingh and Netrokona districts.

Paddy fields were damaged both by winds and hailstones accompanying rain, officials said.

Officials supervising rescue and relief efforts said the scale of destruction suggested the wind speed could have been more than 250 kph
(150 mph) and the Dhaka meteorology office said the storm was probably a tornado.


Reuters