Hundreds of thousands of people in Bangladesh, victims of the worst cyclone to hit the country in a decade were desperately awaiting aid on Monday as the official death toll climbed to over three thousand. With relief aid pouring in, rescue teams battled to reach remote areas. The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, the Islamic equivalent of the Red Cross warned the death toll could hit ten thousand once rescuers reach outlying islands.
孟加拉国有很多人都在近10年来最严重的一次气旋中受到了波及,本周一,这些人正在焦急地等待援助。另一边,官方数据宣布,死亡人数已上升至3000多人。随着赈灾救助的纷至沓来,救援团队都在争分夺秒地抵达偏远地区。相当于伊斯兰红十字会的孟加拉红新月会警示称,如果救援团队去往偏远的岛屿,死亡人数会破万。
In the typhoon ravaged area, residents have been recovering dead bodies since flood waters receded. Many grieving families are burying their loved ones in the same grave because no male member is available to dig separate ones. But even these mass graves are overflowing with new bodies being recovered every day. There's no place to bury the dead. We do not even have a piece of cloth to cover their bodies. Our condition now is worse than the dead.
I can not find my family members. I don't even know how to look for them. We've lost our house, cattle, crops, everything, because of floods. Patuakhali, in the southern coastal area of the country, endured strong winds that push large boats out of the water and onto land. People's houses were destroyed, and their animals killed when the cyclone struck. The lack of food, water, proper shelter and clothes, especially during the winter season, have made the living conditions of survivors extremely difficult.
我找不到家人了,我也不知道去哪里找。我们没了家,没了牲畜,没了庄稼,什么都没了,只因为洪水。该国南部沿岸地区的博杜阿卡利遭受了强风的席卷,导致许多大型船只从水上被刮到陆地上。人们无处可住,动物在气旋中死去。人们缺少粮食、水源以及合适的避难所和衣物,这种情况尤其在冬季会让幸存者的生活境况极端艰难。
Our crops have been destroyed. We have nothing to survive on. We are trying to survive with eating whatever's edible that we can lay our hands on. International aid organizations promised initial packages of 25 million dollars during a meeting with Bangladesh agencies on Monday. But relief items such as tents, rice and water have been slow to reach many. The government's response was criticized by some villagers and many fear they may not survive. Government officials defended the relief efforts and expressed confidence that authorities are up to the task.
Many foreign governments and international groups have also pledged to help, including the United States, which offered 2.1 million dollars and the United Nations which promised 7 million dollars. Tropical cyclone Sidr was the worst cyclone to hit Bangladesh in a decade.