Cyclone death toll near 200 in India, Bangladesh

27 May 2009

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- The death toll from a powerful cyclone that hit India and Bangladesh this week has climbed to at least 180, officials said Wednesday.

Cyclone Aila struck eastern India, causing an estimated $8 million damage in one district alone.

In Bangladesh, some 111 people have died and more than 6,600 others have been injured in the storm, said Sultanul Islam Chowdhury from the country's food and disaster management ministry.

Cyclone Aila, which made landfall on Monday, has swept away nearly 180,000 homes and affected the lives of more than 3.3 million people, he said.

In India, the number of storm-related deaths climbed to 69 Wednesday, according to an emergency official.

About a quarter of the total, 20 people, died in landslides triggered by Aila on Tuesday in a hilly region of West Bengal, said Debabrata Pal, a joint-secretary with the state's disaster management department.

Source: cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf

Posted by News Point at 3:52 AM 0 comments  

Pakistan: Massive blast destroys police building

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- A well-coordinated attack involving gunmen and an explosives-packed van reduced a police building to rubble in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Wednesday.

Amid the confusion and the chaos in Pakistan's second-largest city, various officials offered conflicting casualty counts -- with almost all agreeing that at least 23 were killed. Most were police officers and staffers.

The blast also wounded more than 250, with one hospital -- Sir Ganga Ram, itself damaged by the explosion -- alone treating 128 victims.

Authorities expected the death toll to rise as rescue workers pick through twisted metal and other debris, looking for more bodies. Watch more on the attack »

The attack comes amid a Pakistani military offensive to remove militants from their haven in the northwestern part of the country.

source:cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf

Posted by News Point at 3:44 AM 0 comments  

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