Aid Arrives After Cyclone Kills 119 In India

Aid workers distributed rice, dried fruits, water anddepartment, said Devesh Chandra Thakur, Bihar state's
tarpaulins Thursday to the victims of a ferociousminister for disaster management. "Most people were
cyclone that killed at least 119 people in northeasternsleeping when the cyclone struck. They ran out of their
India and demolished ten of thousands of mud huts.homes into the open," said M. B. Shajuruddin, a
Rescuers cleared hundreds of uprooted trees and30-year-old teacher in Chhota Suhar, a village in West
electricity poles blocking roads to the devastatedBengal. The storm destroyed most the village's 500
areas in Bihar state, said Sharwan Kumar, a statetin-roofed huts, and splintered trees. "We have so far
administrator. Telephone services also were restoredreceived no government help ... People are surviving on
in most of the region after a 30-hour interruption.whatever they are left with," he said. Vyasji said
Rescuers found 10 bodies on Thursday in the districtrescuers found 23 bodies overnight from northeastern
of Purnea, raising the overall death toll in Bihar state toBihar districts of Araria, Kishenganj and Purnea.
80, Kumar told The Associated Press. Police andAuthorities handed tarpaulin sheets to the cyclone
rescue teams have recovered another 39 bodies invictims to set up temporary shelters in the region and
the worst-hit villages in West Bengal state —distributed food and water, Vyasji said. Namita Biswas,
Hematabad, Raiganj and Kiran Dighi — since51, a housewife in West Bengal, said told AP by phone
Wednesday, said Ramanuj Chakraborty, a senior localshe and her husband were sleeping in their hut when it
official. Packing winds of more than 100 mph (160 kph),was crushed by a tree that broke from the impact of
the cyclone struck close to midnight Tuesday.the cyclone. Her husband was killed. The cyclone
Hundreds of people were injured and thousands leftdemolished nearly 50,000 mud huts in West Bengal
homeless. They were nike air max caught unaware asand thousands more in Bihar, officials said.
there was no cyclone warning from the weather