Meanwhile, a tornado ripped through eight villages at Hatia upazila of Noakhali yesterday morning, destroying more than 200 houses and injuring some 25 people.

Since the heavy storm on Tuesday evening, 46 bodies have been recovered from the coastal areas, said official sources. Different private TV channels reported that at least 73 bodies were recovered till yesterday evening.

The government has yet to take comprehensive measures to rescue the missing fishermen. A team of the navy however was searching for the officer who went missing during the storm. There was no trace of him as of late last night.

Inclement weather has been hampering the small-scale rescue missions launched by district administration and locals.

Resulting from a low in the Bay, the storm along the shoreline left over 500 boats and trawlers capsized and more than 2,000 fishermen missing.

Life in the capital was severely disrupted due to continuous rain brought on by the low yesterday. Most of the districts including Dhaka experienced a high rainfall, the met office sources said.

The city streets remained Deserted throughout the day because of the heavy downpour and the opposition's dawn-to-dusk hartal.

People's presence at the offices, educational institutions and markets was remarkably low. A few could get out of their houses.

Sufferings were terrible for those who could not afford staying home. Besides getting soaked, the commuters had to struggle for vehicles as the transport fares were going through the roof.

The met office sources said the weather would remain gloomy today as well.

Nearly 1,200 fishermen who narrowly escaped death after their trawlers were overturned in the rough seas have taken shelters at the Patharghata camp.

More than 400 fishermen swam ashore at Kuakata yesterday afternoon. They managed to float in the turbulent sea, grasping empty drums, logs and lifebuoys, report our correspondents.

Our Barisal correspondent adds: Some 27 trawlers with 245 fishermen reportedly capsized during the storm.

Our Cox's Bazar correspondent reports: At least two bodies were located on Kotubdiya beach yesterday. Around 500 local fishermen were still reported missing after 50 trawlers with 600 people on board went under Tuesday.

The Coastguard members and locals rescued some 100 during overnight operations, said a coastguard source.

The missing fishermen were mostly from Moheshkhali, Kotubdiya, and Teknaf, added the source.

Mohammed Aminul Islam, Deputy Commissioner of Cox's Bazar said the district administration and the trawler owners have launched rescue operations to search for the missing ones.

Water Development Board (WDB) sources said about a four-kilometre stretch of the flood control embankment in Maheshkhali was washed away by unusually high tides in the last two days.

Our Barisal correspondent reports that 25 of the 43 bodies recovered were buried at Dublarchar yesterday.

Dulal Master, president of Barguna Trawler Workers Union, said around 160 trawlers were missing.

With two speedboats and two trawlers, a group of fishermen from Dublarchar was working round the clock to trace their missing friends and relatives. So far, they have rescued 47 alive.

Our Patuakhali correspondent adds: Four more bodies were recovered from Gangamati area yesterday, pushing the number to 10 in two days.

Relatives of the missing fishermen were waiting on the beach for their dear ones to return.

Local Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Abdul Bari said nearly 70 fishermen have taken shelter at Char Kukri Mukri of Bhola while 16 from Bhola got back to the land at Kuakata.

LOWLANDS FLOODED IN RAJSHAHI
Heavy rains throughout the day flooded many low-lying areas of Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon and Natore districts.

Due to a sharp rise in the water level in the Padma, a 17-kilometre stretch of the Padma Dam between Godagari and Charghat upazilas of Rajshahi was at the risk of being split open. The authorities have been dumping stone blocks and sandbags at vulnerable points to resist the surging water.

Lowlands in 25 unions across six upazilas of Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts have gone under water.

WDB officials said the Padma and the Mahananda continued to swell yesterday, threatening the low-lying areas of Chapainawabganj, Godagari and Rajshahi.

UNB adds: The disaster management ministry at an emergency meeting yesterday decided to strengthen the monitoring of storms in the coastal areas.

The meeting also reviewed the aftermath of Tuesday's storm.

Sources said it discussed if there were lapses on the part of disaster management officials in tackling the situation and also the forecast of the Storm Warning Centre.

Participants at the meeting stressed that a large contingent of trained volunteers should be ready for rescue operations. They also emphasised the importance of immediate assistance to the affected people in the event of natural calamity.

Chaired by Deputy Minister Asadul Habib Dulu, it also sanctioned an additional 900 metric tons of rice and Tk 19 lakh for the victims in 13 coastal districts. The DCs and UNOs have been directed to take speedy relief measures, said a press release.

They have also been asked to open control rooms to co-ordinate the relief measures.

UNB from Chittagong reports: Eight unions in the seaside Sandwip upazila were submerged yesterday morning as mighty tidal waves tore down a cross-dam along the Bay of Bengal.

Locals said the seawater suddenly rolled into the vast area washing away a 5-km stretch of the embankment at about 10:00am.

PM, Hasina shocked at loss of lives Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and opposition leader Sheikh Hasina yesterday expressed deep shock at the loss of lives and property in sudden storms over the Bay on Tuesday night.

Govt failed to alert people Opposition lawmakers yesterday in parliament strongly criticised the Met Office and the government for failing to alert people in the coastal belt before the storm lashed the area Tuesday evening.

We regret In our yesterday's report headlined "25 killed as storm lashes coastal belt" it was mistakenly mentioned that Lt Commander Feroz Kabir of Navy patrol vessel BN Shahid Farid was killed and his body was