Majher Char, November 19:

Soldiers and relief workers raced today to get aid to millions devastated by the cyclone in Bangladesh, where the official death toll has topped 3,100 and is certain to rise.

Untold numbers of survivors were in urgent need of food and water in the south. With the bloated corpses of people and animals dotting the landscape, and little left in the way of medical treatment, fears of disease were adding to the human misery across the region.

With more than 3,100 confirmed dead, officials fear the toll could run into many thousands. “It may cross 5,000, but it will remain below 10,000,” said M Abdur Rab, chairman of the Bangladeshi Red Crescent Society, the country’s largest humanitarian body.