Death toll mounts to 94 due to Cyclone Aila

The death toll in Cyclone Aila, which left a trail of death and destruction in West Bengal, mounted to 94 today.

Eight more bodies were dug out from the debris of landslides in Darjeeling raising the toll there to 24, according to official sources.

Other deaths were reported from Howrah, South Parganas, Nadia.

Altogether 46 lakh people were affected and six lakh houses were partially or fully damaged, Finance minister Asim Dasgupta told newsmen after a high-level meeting presided over by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

Asked to quantify the extent of damages, Dasgupta said it was yet to be computed, but the damage to agriculture was estimated at Rs 100 crore.

Stating that the immediate priority was to provide relief to the affected persons, he said the government had released an additional 100 tonne of rice in addition to an equal amount released yesterday.

While 3.5 lakh water pouches have been distributed, the quantity would be doubled in the next three to four days, he said, adding, 2.30 lakh pieces of tarpaulin have also been distributed.