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| Aid battle for Bangladesh victims | Aid battle for Bangladesh victims |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Rescue and relief teams have reached most of the remote areas of Bangladesh affected by one of the worst cyclones in recent years, officials say. | Rescue and relief teams have reached most of the remote areas of Bangladesh affected by one of the worst cyclones in recent years, officials say. |
| But the situation on the ground remains grim, with untold numbers of desperate survivors still short of the most basic necessities of food and drinking water. | But the situation on the ground remains grim, with untold numbers of desperate survivors still short of the most basic necessities of food and drinking water. |
| Cyclone Sidr has killed more than 3,000 people. Millions are now homeless. | Cyclone Sidr has killed more than 3,000 people. Millions are now homeless. |
| Aid pledges are pouring in to help victims of the storm, described by the government as a "national calamity". | Aid pledges are pouring in to help victims of the storm, described by the government as a "national calamity". |
| The Bangladeshi minister in charge of disaster management, Tapan Chowdhury, told the BBC that his administration had received offers of $140m (£70m) worth of international emergency aid. | The Bangladeshi minister in charge of disaster management, Tapan Chowdhury, told the BBC that his administration had received offers of $140m (£70m) worth of international emergency aid. |
| The government has now been able to make food drops to places which were not reachable immediately after the cyclone, he said. | |
| Basic necessities | Basic necessities |
| Cyclone Sidr, which struck late on Thursday, brought winds of up to 240km/h (150mph) and a tidal surge of several metres. | Cyclone Sidr, which struck late on Thursday, brought winds of up to 240km/h (150mph) and a tidal surge of several metres. |
| It brought down power lines and wiped out vital crops. | |
| Our cattle and poultry are dead, our crops have been destroyed - we have nothing to survive on Survivor Poor hit hardest Victims run for lives In pictures: Storm aftermath | Our cattle and poultry are dead, our crops have been destroyed - we have nothing to survive on Survivor Poor hit hardest Victims run for lives In pictures: Storm aftermath |
| Some 500,000 homes have been destroyed, and 845,000 households have been affected, according to the British Red Cross. | |
| Bangladesh's Red Crescent society says up to 10,000 may have died. | Bangladesh's Red Crescent society says up to 10,000 may have died. |
| Tens of thousands of survivors are now struggling for basic necessities like tents, rice, medicines and drinking water. | Tens of thousands of survivors are now struggling for basic necessities like tents, rice, medicines and drinking water. |
| Mr Chowdhury says the government is working to provide shelter and help with rebuilding, as well as setting up a programme to re-stock the country's farms with seeds and fertiliser. | |
| But the BBC's Mark Dummet in Bangladesh says many remote communities along the south-western coast say they have not yet received any help. | |
| Coastal Bangladesh is a maze of waterways, creeks, islands and sandbanks and the only way to get help to the hundreds of thousands of survivors of the massive storm is by boat. | Coastal Bangladesh is a maze of waterways, creeks, islands and sandbanks and the only way to get help to the hundreds of thousands of survivors of the massive storm is by boat. |
| Along the riverbanks in Barguna District, our correspondent describes hundreds of uprooted trees and knocked-down tin houses, and a river ferry lifted up by the tidal surge and dumped on the shore. | Along the riverbanks in Barguna District, our correspondent describes hundreds of uprooted trees and knocked-down tin houses, and a river ferry lifted up by the tidal surge and dumped on the shore. |
| The BBC's Alastair Lawson, who is also in the country, says some survivors have not been able to eat since the storm struck, and that he has witnessed villagers fighting over rice. | The BBC's Alastair Lawson, who is also in the country, says some survivors have not been able to eat since the storm struck, and that he has witnessed villagers fighting over rice. |
| One survivor told the BBC: "We have no food, we are trying to survive with eating whatever is edible that we can lay our hands on. | One survivor told the BBC: "We have no food, we are trying to survive with eating whatever is edible that we can lay our hands on. |
| "Our cattle and poultry are dead, our crops have been destroyed. We have nothing to survive on." | "Our cattle and poultry are dead, our crops have been destroyed. We have nothing to survive on." |
| 'Acute stage' | 'Acute stage' |
| Among major donors is Saudi Arabia, which has pledged $100m in aid. The UK is sending $5m for relief efforts in addition to pledges from other nations and the European Union. | Among major donors is Saudi Arabia, which has pledged $100m in aid. The UK is sending $5m for relief efforts in addition to pledges from other nations and the European Union. |
| A spokesman for the UN World Food Programme in Bangladesh, which is overseeing the aid operation, said agencies had reacted "quickly and swiftly". | A spokesman for the UN World Food Programme in Bangladesh, which is overseeing the aid operation, said agencies had reacted "quickly and swiftly". |
| Satellite map of affected area, and the path of Cyclone Sidr Enlarge Map | Satellite map of affected area, and the path of Cyclone Sidr Enlarge Map |
| "The relief effort right now is in the acute stage, the beginning stages," Douglas Broderick told the BBC, adding that more than one million people had been fed so far. | "The relief effort right now is in the acute stage, the beginning stages," Douglas Broderick told the BBC, adding that more than one million people had been fed so far. |
| Announcing $2m in aid, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the US would call in "a multitude of US government disaster relief agencies and departments" to help. | Announcing $2m in aid, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the US would call in "a multitude of US government disaster relief agencies and departments" to help. |
| The government has denied suggestions that it is not up to the relief task. | The government has denied suggestions that it is not up to the relief task. |
| Its early-warning system is being credited with saving many lives, but the damage to property and crops has been massive. | |
| Officials say that in many areas 95% of rice which was awaiting harvest has been destroyed, and shrimp farms and other crops were simply washed away. | Officials say that in many areas 95% of rice which was awaiting harvest has been destroyed, and shrimp farms and other crops were simply washed away. |
| Cyclone Sidr comes just a few months after floods devastated the north of the country. | Cyclone Sidr comes just a few months after floods devastated the north of the country. |
| Southern Bangladesh is hit every year by cyclones and floods, but Cyclone Sidr is the most destructive storm to hit the country in more than a decade. | Southern Bangladesh is hit every year by cyclones and floods, but Cyclone Sidr is the most destructive storm to hit the country in more than a decade. |
| Another storm in 1991 left some 143,000 dead. | Another storm in 1991 left some 143,000 dead. |
| Have you been affected by the cyclone? Send us your experiences using the form below: | Have you been affected by the cyclone? Send us your experiences using the form below: |
| You can send pictures and video to: yourpics@bbc.co.uk or to send via MMS please dial +44 (0)7725 100 100. | You can send pictures and video to: yourpics@bbc.co.uk or to send via MMS please dial +44 (0)7725 100 100. |
| Do not endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. | Do not endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. |
| Click here for terms and conditions on sending photos and video | Click here for terms and conditions on sending photos and video |