NEW DELHI, November 16 (RIA Novosti) - Cyclone Sidr has swept over Bangladesh, killing some 1100 people, with around 1000 missing and more than 20,000 homes destroyed, China's Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.
Government officials have said the death toll was at least 455.
The category four cyclone hit the coast of Bangladesh late on Thursday, with winds reaching 240 km (150 miles) per hour, ripping up trees and leveling houses, as well as causing damage to crops, transport routes, communication and power supply lines. Many coastal districts were flooded.
Cyclones kill hundreds of people in Bangladesh annually. However, following devastating cyclones in 1970 and 1991, which claimed half a million and 140,000 lives respectively, the south Asian country introduced a more effective early warning system and built a better network of shelters.
