DHAKA, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the last Thursday night's cyclone in Bangladesh shot up to 2579 till 5:00 p.m. Monday, according to the Food and Disaster Management Ministry.

    However the unofficial count put the figure at over 3000.

Mukta Begum cries after losing her husband of only three months who was killed in a devastating storm at Bakerganj, south west of the Bangladesh capital Dhaka, Nov. 17, 2007. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    In the latest report released, the disaster management ministry marked 1,491 people as injured and 1,063 as missing.

    About 3.3 million people of 912,000 families in 28 out of the country's 64 districts have been affected by the storm and tidal surges, the ministry said.

    About 300,000 houses were completely ruined and over 600,000 houses suffered heavy damage, the report said. Over 250,000 heads of cattle and poultry birds were killed in the storm.

    The Bangladesh government Monday asked international community to assist its efforts to provide emergency aid to the cyclone victims and post-cyclone rehabilitation.

    Advisor to the Food and Disaster Ministry Tapan Chowdhury told reporters this afternoon that donor countries and agencies so far pledged emergency aid of 140 million U.S. dollars.

    The cyclonic storm Sidr, was one of the fiercest cyclones that had hit the region of Bangladesh in the 131 years between 1876 and 2007.

Bangladesh Red Crescent Society appeals for $5.7 mln assistance for cyclone victims

    DHAKA, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) Sunday said it has already appealed for 400 million taka (about 5.7 million U.S. dollars) in international assistance for the cyclone victims in the country.

    "Hopefully, proper response will be received about our appeal by two or three days," BDRCS chairman Prof M Abdur Rob was quoted by private news agency UNB as saying. Full story

Chinese president offers sympathies to Bangladesh over devastating cyclone

    BEIJING, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao offered sympathies on Sunday to his Bangladesh counterpart Iajuddin Ahmed over the casualties and devastation caused by Cyclone Sidr in the South Asian country.

    In a message sent to Iajuddin, Hu offered deep sympathies for the victims of the cyclone and expressed the belief that the Bangladesh people will overcome the difficulties and rebuild their homes soon. Full story