Bengali Cyclone Toll Hits 1,100

The death toll from yesterday’s cyclone in Bangladesh has risen to 1,100, and widespread power and telephone shortages are slowing relief work. The full devastation may not be known for days. Relief agencies have descended on the impoverished nation, but blocked roads and rivers make reaching the worst-hit areas difficult, the AP reports.

The storm's 150-mph winds devastated whole villages, leveling as many as 80% of trees in affected regions and leaving valley areas and islands under water. Power remained out in the capital, Dhaka, where winds unmoored billboards and uprooted trees, authorities said. More than 650,000 coastal Bengalis were relocated to shelters. (More Bangladesh stories.)