CRI听力：Death Toll from Cyclone Exceeds 2,200

A Bangladeshi woman clears debris from her destroyed house in Moralganj. Bangladesh said that 2,217 people were confirmed to have died after a cyclone smashed into the south of the country, with the toll from the disaster expected to rise further. [Photo: AFP]

In Bangladesh, thousands of survivors of Tropical Cyclone Sidr have waited for relief aid amid their wrecked homes and flooded fields following the deadliest storm to hit the south Asian nation in a decade.

Authorities say the cyclone has claimed at least 2 thousand 200 lives.

The government scrambled to join international agencies and local officials in the rescue mission following the cyclone. It deployed military helicopters, thousands of troops and naval ships.

Rescuers struggled to clear roads and get their vehicles through, but many found the blockages impassable. 

"The roads have all been destroyed, so we cannot use our bikes or cycles to move around to recover bodies. We are trying our best. We recovered a body this morning."

At least 1.5 million coastal villagers had fled to shelters where they were given emergency rations.

An estimated 2.7 million people were affected and 773,000 houses were damaged, according to the Ministry of Disaster Management. Roughly 250,000 cattle and poultry perished, and crops were destroyed along huge swaths of land.

The government has allocated 5.2 million US dollars in emergency aid for rebuilding houses.

Several countries have pledged to help. The German government offered 730,000 US dollars while the European Union pledged 2.2 million US dollars in relief aid.
The Rome-based World Food Program was rushing in food, and the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society was sending thousands of workers to stricken areas.