BARISAL. May 4:. Thousands of cyclone victims of Monpura. Dhalchar. Charkukri mukri. Char Nijam. Charfashion of Bhola district are crying for food and shelter. They are under the open sky.

The grim picture of deaths and devastations in the solitary shore of rivers and sea have । turned the living people dumb.

According to an eyewitness, communications from the

District administration. NGO’s and Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BRCS) are trying to gear up relief operations tn their respective areas.

In Barisal. nothing has been done as yet to salvage launches which sank in the mighty river Kirtonkhola Monday night.

MV Samad an oil vessel sank about 20 feet under water might create obstacle to the movement of marine traffic in

tlie southern region.

The authorities said that the salvage unit of Hamja' is not enough to conduct salvage operation. The three other' launches sank in that fateful night about four miles off the town are yet to be salvaged.

Relief and rescue oppositions have been intensified in the devastated ares of the district.

BSS corrcsoondent Azizul

Islam Bhuiyan from Bhola adds : The Monday's cyclonic storm and tidal surge left behind a trail of devastation and destruction everywhere in the district.

Besides a death toll of over 62 as officially described, standing crops and vegetation worth Taka 70 crore were damaged In the district. More than three hundred people

other remained missing.

More than 80 per cent schools, colleges, madrasas and mosques and 60 to 70 per cent dwelling houses were destroyed in the cyclone.

The worst-affected upazilas of the district are Charfashion and Manpura while Daulatkhan. Borhanuddin. Tajumuddin and Lalmohan were also badly hiL

Crop loss

Out of the total crop loss. Boro paddy on 60.260 acres, i.e. about 13.92.925 maunds of paddy valued at Taka 31.43.85,000. was damaged.

Red-pepper on 12.169 acres was damaged causing loss of 97,357 maunds valued at Taka 11,68,28.400.

Other crop losses in the district were: 2,491 maunds of groundnuts on 267 acres worth Taka 14,94,720. 2.919 maunds of til-seeds valued at Taka 31,67.640 on 1,131 acres. 27.877 maunds if different varieties if pulses worth Taka 1,47.01.280 over 3.000 acres, and 141,250 maunds of winter vegetable, including mlshtl alu (sweet potato), on 1,415 acres, and vegetables valued at Taka 37,34,000.

The worat-hlt crop in the cyclone was betel-leaf. Betelleaf on 750 acres valued at over Taka 3.75.000.00 was damaged. In most of the areas, the damage to "pan-baraj" (betel-leaf plantation) was almost 100 per cent.

Aus paddy of both High-Yielding Variety (HYV) and focal variety on 1728 acres was destroyed causing to a loss of 33,889 maunds worth Taka 80,83.280.

Beside*. 31.500 maunds of various types of fruits Including banana. Jack-fruit* and mango were damaged Their value is estimated at Taka 15.75.00,000.

80 px educational institutions damaged Damage to the school, college. Madras* and mosque buildings was so heavy that there is no sign of some of them mo«l of their roofs were blown half a mile away by the terrible wind while the parti Uons and wall* and even some pucca floors were totally destroyed