Death Toll Rises After Cyclone

Villagers and soldiers recovered at least 400 bodies and rescued thousands of survivors from the receding water of a cyclone that submerged thousands of villages in the southern Sindh province, witnesses and officials said Sunday.

Rescue workers picked up dozens of bodies suspended in trees and dragged many more from bushes and mud as the swollen sea receded leaving behind devastated villages and thousands of people stranded in water, witnesses said.

Hundreds of people were still missing and feared drowned, with little hope that their bodies would be found soon, officials said. They feared many bodies had been swept out to sea.

The cyclone smashed into the Arabian Sea coast Thursday packing winds of 170 mph that submerged thousands of villages in the coastal Thatta and Badin districts of Sind province.

The two districts are located 30 miles and 75 miles, respectively, from the port city of Karachi.

Soldiers used boats and helicopters to rescue thousands of survivors, but many more remained stranded in remote villages.

"The government is doing all it can ... but we were not prepared for a calamity of this magnitude," Sindh Governor Moinuddin Haider told reporters late Saturday.

At least 164 bodies were recovered from Raj Malik village in Thatta district, said Dr. Mumtaz Uqali, who was interviewed by telephone.

"Bodies were strewn on trees and rolled in mud," he said. The dead were being buried in mass graves of 10 to 15 bodies, he said.

On Saturday, 11 paramilitary soldiers were swept away by a powerful current during a rescue attempt, Haider said. Their bodies had not yet been found, he said.

"Rescue operations are still going on... We can't say for sure how many more are dead. The death toll will certainly rise," said Nazar Mohammad Baloch, a Sindh provincial government official.

Government officials said about 100 fishing boats with more than 6,000 people are still missing.

Many survivors were suffering from exposure and there was fear of an outbreak of disease as the water recedes, authorities said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced $1 million in financing for relief efforts, but Haider said at least $6 million was needed.

Water and power supply lines were destroyed, as was the communications network. It will take months to restore these utilities, Haider said.

A large number of cattle also were killed, authorities said.

Villagers said they received no prior warning of the cyclone. Haider said residents of the area were warned but did not evacuate their villages.

Many of the fishing villages battered by the cyclone were small and poor, said residents of the area. Most homes in these villages are made of flimsy material, like straw and mud.

Written by Zahid Hussain