Almost 3 milllion in Bangladesh in need of 'life saving assistance,' says UN

Social justice news
November 30, 2007

Almost 3 milllion in Bangladesh in need of 'life saving assistance,' says UN
Nearly two weeks after super cyclone Sidr battered Bangladesh, an estimated 2.6 million people remain in need of immediate life-saving assistance, accorinding to UN officials. According to the Government of Bangladesh, more than 7 million people were affected by the storm.

As many as 3,243 people have been confirmed dead to date, another 880 remain missing, and 34,708 were injured. There were also significant material damages caused by Sidr, a category 4 storm that made landfall in Bangladesh in the late evening of 15 November bringing torrential rains and packing winds of up to 240 kilometres per hour. More than 1 million houses have been damaged, 366,000 of which have been completely destroyed, and extensive damage to roads and public buildings, including almost 10,000 educational institutions, has also been reported. In addition, more than 1.8 million acres of crops were damaged and over 523,000 livestock have been confirmed killed.

UN and disaster aid organizations like Catholic Relief Services are responding to the crisis.

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