At Least 35 Killed as Cyclone Rakes Bangladesh

DHAKA, Bangladesh —  A cyclone tore through coastal Bangladesh on Saturday, killing at least 35 people and destroying tens of thousands of village homes, officials said.

Of the deaths, 24 were reported in the district of Bhola, an island about 65 miles south of Dhaka, the capital, and one of the areas hardest hit when the cyclone roared in from the Bay of Bengal with winds of up to 90 mph. Three Bhola fishermen were reported missing.

Most people were killed when the mud walls of their straw-roofed huts collapsed, according to relief workers. Many huts were empty, however, because authorities had evacuated more than 1 million residents to about 2,000 concrete shelters before the storm.

Eleven people died in other regions.

Many fishermen who live in the island district off the southern coast were reported missing, and their boats might have capsized, local officials said. Two fishing trawlers with 22 crew members disappeared, the United News of Bangladesh news agency said.

The Meteorological Department reported a tidal surge up to 5 feet above the normal level, and torrential rains flooded farm fields along the 250-mile coast, officials of the Red Crescent volunteer group said.

Army and navy troops joined government relief workers and more than 32,000 Red Crescent volunteers in rescue work that was being hampered by torrential rains and gusty winds, the Disaster Management and Relief Ministry said.