Thousands of homeless villagers were still without aid yesterday, two days after tornadoes tore through northern Bangladesh, killing 47 and injuring about 1,000 others, witnesses said.
Two tornadoes struck almost simultaneously late on Sunday, blowing away thousands of flimsy huts and leaving nearly 15,000 people homeless in northern Gaibandha and Rangpur districts.
Eight more bodies were discovered under debris yesterday in Gaibandha, bringing the death toll to 43 in the district, 190km north of the capital, Dhaka, the local administrator's office said.
A second tornado swept through neighboring Rangpur district, killing at least four people and injuring about 200, police said.
Many families huddled around the remnants of their homes under open skies, with little food or water, witnesses said. In the remote village of Shahobar in Gaibandha, many victims complained of not receiving any help.
"They came and got our names. But we haven't received any relief yet," said Piar Uddin, 70, who sat dazed under a makeshift bamboo-and-cloth shed.
The village is only accessible via a dirt road not suitable for cars.
Almost all of the village's 900 families lost their straw huts. The village lost seven people. An army medical team visited the village on Monday, but left later.
In the worst-affected village of Khamar Doshalia in Gaibandha district, many lost their homes, cattle and crops. The village lost at least 23 people, an official said. Almost all of its 900 homes were leveled.
The government says it has sent emergency supplies, including rice, biscuits and building materials, to many tornado-hit areas. Authorities were also distributing cash and funeral shrouds to bury the dead.
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