Powerful cyclone kills 34 in India, 15 in Bangladesh

摘要

A rare summer cyclone that tore through parts of South Asia killed at least 34 people in India and 15 inneighboring Bangladesh and smashed thousands of thatched-roof huts, officials said today.The evacuation of more than 1 million people from about 15,000 villages and 46 towns in India's worst-hit Odishastate prevented a much worse death toll from one of the biggest storms in decades. The preparationsdemonstrated greatly improved disaster readiness since 1999, when a "super" cyclone killed about 10,000people and devastated large parts of the state.