Dhaka: Bangladesh said the death toll from a massive cyclone had reached the 3,000 mark.
Millions of people have also been left homeless, hungry and without medical help.
The disaster management ministry updated its toll on Sunday evening confirming the deaths of 400 more people.
Bangladesh Red Crescent Society chairman Abdur Rab Rab said he feared the toll could eventually be as high as 10,000.
"It will take several more days to complete the search and know the actual casualty figures and extent of damage," Disaster Management secretary Ayub Miah said.
Rescuers believe many deaths could remain unrecorded as many were lost at sea. Red Crescent officials and their volunteers reported an acute shortage of drinking water.
"If the supply could not be ensured within the next day survivors could be exposed to another humanitarian disaster," a local newsman in Barisal said.
An army spokesman on Sunday admitted the troops could not reach at least 20 per cent of the affected areas because of divested communication systems.
"We are expecting to cover the remaining 20 per cent of the cyclone hit areas in the next two days," Lieutenant Colonel Mainuddin Chowdhury told a press briefing at army headquarters. Several donor agencies and countries made aid offers as the interim government said it would welcome assistance for cyclone victims.
Aftermath: Warning storm
A storm is brewing between Bangladesh meteorologists and the country's sailors in the aftermath of super cyclone Sidr over whether earlier warnings could have prevented more deaths.
Bangladesh adopts a 10 point storm severity signal system, with 1 being raised for even a small storm and 10 saved for all but the most severe. The international Tropical Storm Tracker uses a five point scale, with 5 being the most severe.
Alamgir Kabir, captain of St. Vincent-flagged Ashrar E Mostafa, said they were caught off-guard when Bangladesh officials raised the signal directly from 4 to 9 in a matter of hours.
"That initially confused men on merchant ships in the Bay of Bengal," he said. Had they raised the signal gradually, he said, it would have been easier for sailors to make preparations.
As the warning signal was raised, Chittagong Port ordered all vessels to leave their berths and move to outer anchorages.
- Reuters
