In
The rescue teams, formed out of international aid organizations that work with army troops, tried to clear the roads of fallen trees and twisted roofs in order to reach the remote villages. Relief items like tents, food and water reached very hard the survivors, many of them homeless, who struggled for food.
Selina Shahid of the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management said that the death toll rose when contact was made with coastal regions cut off by the storm, the New York Times reports.
The death toll was based on reports from the police, public hospitals, military officials, relief workers and aid agencies in the country, according to Mohammad Golam Mostafa, an official in the ministry.
The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society said that once the rescuers reach the islands off the coast the figure can go up to 10,000 victims.
The chairman of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, Mohammad Abdur Rob, said that thousands of volunteers that were helping with the rescue operations gave the estimation.
Government officials said that the authorities were up to the task
Shahidul Islam, an official in Bagerhat, a district near Barguna, said: “We have enough food and water. We are going to overcome the problem.”
On Sunday Aiyub Bhuiyan, the Secretary of the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management, met with United Nations’ representatives and international aid groups to discuss about emergency response.
He said: “The donors wanted to know about our plan and how they can come forward to stand by the victims. We have briefed them about what we need immediately."
$5.2 million in emergency aid was allocated by the government in order to rebuild houses
The
Cyclone Sidr smashed tens of thousands of homes in southwestern