The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The United Nations said the humanitarian crisis caused by Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh was much worse than previously thought, with more than two million people in need of immediate life-saving assistance.

"As more information becomes available, an even grimmer reality is being revealed," the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement released in Dhaka yesterday. Nearly three weeks after cyclone Sidr battered the country's southwestern coastal districts, the UN said 2.6 million people were still in dire need of life-saving assistance.

The warning came as the country's caretaker government said it needed one billion dollars to rebuild devastated coastal communities and protect itself from what it said are 'increased disasters due to climate change.'

"The humanitarian situation in Bangladesh in the wake of last month's devastating Cyclone Sidr is much worse than previously understood," the statement said.

"About 2.6 million Bangladeshis across nine districts needed emergency assistance, and the total number of people affected by the cyclone was around 8.5 million, 1.5 million more than initially thought," it said.

The confirmed death toll has increased slightly to 3,268, the number of people considered missing is 872 and the number of injured has been revised upward by 5,000 to nearly 40,000.

The UN statement said damage to property is also more severe than first reported. Nearly 5,64,000 homes have been completely destroyed, 2,00,000 more than initially estimated. Another 8,85,280 houses have been damaged.