by Shams Chowdhury

    DHAKA, May 27 (Xinhua) -- As the grim picture of death and destruction from the cyclone Aila-hit southern Bangladesh continued to emerge with official count of 113 deaths so far, rescuers made desperate efforts to reach relief materials to survivors in remote places.

A Bangladeshi villager carries his belongings through flood waters in the village Sathkhira, some 400 kms from Dhaka, May 26, 2009. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    Food and Disaster Management Minister Abdur Razzak said at a press conference here on Wednesday evening that the death toll might go up slightly as some more people still remain missing. "We've identified 113 bodies so far," he said.

    The unofficial tally, however, put the death toll at 153 till Wednesday evening. Local people and volunteers working in the affected area fear that the death figure could rise further as they kept spotting bodies in the cyclone-devastated areas.

    Of the total deaths in some 17 districts, 35 were reported from the worst-hit southwestern Satkhira district, another 35 from southwestern Khulna and 26 from southeastern Noakhali.

    The cyclone Aila formed in the Bay of Bengal crossed Bangladesh's southwestern coast on Monday afternoon with a speed of 70-90 kilometers per hour, triggering abnormally high tidal surge and heavy rains in the coastal region.

    This was the biggest natural calamity in Bangladesh after cyclone Sidr battered the country's southwestern coastal belt on Nov. 15, 2007 leaving more than 4,000 dead or missing.

    The food minister told reporters on Wednesday that 6,665 people were injured and 61,440 domestic animals perished in the cyclone which left more than 3.3 millions people affected.

    He said some 993,785 people are still staying at different cyclone centers where foods, drinking water and medicines were sent.

    Razzak admitted that limited shelter centers virtually increased the death toll and related damage.

Flood-affected people move to safer places after receiving relief supplies on the outskirts of Siliguri in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, May 26, 2009.  (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    The Bangladeshi army continued its rescue and relief operations in affected remote areas in the coastal region in close coordination with the local administration.

    Army medical teams are providing treatment and medicines to the victims. Army troops have established 13 water treatment plants in the cyclone hit areas to provide distilled water to the victims.

    Air force helicopters transported relief goods and water purification plants to the affected areas where survivors are suffering from lack of food and safe drinking water.

    According to initial official assessment, standing crops on some 80,667 acres (about 32,670 hectares) of land were damaged completely while partially on 309,327 acres (125,277 hectares). Besides, 179,655 houses were fully damaged and 315,967 were partially damaged.

    The cyclone fully damaged 641.8 km of roads, 509 km of embankments, 152 bridges and culverts and 341 educational institutions.

    "We've sufficient stock of relief materials. We sent 22.3 million taka (about 318,571 U.S. dollars) in cash to the affected areas," minister Razzak said.

    Meanwhile, Secretary of the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management Mokhlesur Rahman told Xinhua on Wednesday that around 42,000 volunteers alongside thousands of local government and non-government officials are relentlessly working to help the victims.

    "We've formed a high-powered inter-ministerial committee to assess economic losses due to the cyclone. The committee has been asked to submit its report next week," he said.

    Rahman said there is no plan to seek foreign assistance for cyclone victims, but adding, "We'll gladly welcome if any of our friends comes forward with any support." 

Cyclone victims wait for relief supplies inside a school building, which was converted into a relief camp, at Akshaynagar in the Sundarbans delta, about 100 km (62 miles) south from the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, May 26, 2009. Nearly 120 people have been killed by Cyclone Aila that ripped through Bangladesh and eastern India including the Sundarbans, which is home to the world's largest tiger reserve, officials and local media said on Tuesday, while millions remained marooned by floodwaters or living in shelters. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>