CYCLONE AILA TOOKS 147 AS 12 MORE BODIES FOUND.

The death toll in the wake of Cyclone Aila continues to rise with twelve more bodies being recovered in the worst hit districts of Khulna and Satkhira, and different estimates put the number of deaths at between 147 and 176 on Thursday. Eight bodies were recovered in Koyra upazila, Khulna, and four in Shyamnagar upazila, Satkhira. There are still mixed reports of the exact number of deaths from the cylone that struck the southwest coast on Monday. The food and disaster minister put the figure at 147 in a briefing Thursday, while compilations of local reports put the death toll at 176 by Thursday night. The government said 43 cyclone victims have been reported dead in Khulna. But Khulna locals say besides the 41 deaths in Koyra, nine died in Dakop upazila and one in Batiaghata, bringing the death toll to 51 in the district so far. Local reports from Satkhira put the death toll in the district at 47, while the government says 44. Water was slow to recede from most parts of Koyra and Dakop on Thursday. During low tide in the morning, water levels fell a little but rose again during high tide at 3pm, with little fluctuation in water levels compared to usual tidal differences. Diarrhoea deaths reported in Satkhira in Aila aftermath Meanwhile, at least four people have been reported to have died of diarrhoea in the cyclone affected district of Satkhira on Thursday, said local officials. Union parishad chairmen and local leaders and journalists said diarrhoea and skin disease were breaking out in the area as flood waters became stagnant and polluted. The dead were identified by locals as Abdul Wahab of Mirgang village in Shymnagar upazila, his son Khokan, and Wasek Ali and Mostafa Kazi of Protabnagar village in Ashashuni upazila. However, deputy commissioner Abdus Samad, at a local meeting, said he had received no news of the deaths. Samad said, "Upazila nirbahi officers have been directed to remain alert for outbreaks of diarrhoea and to ensure medical service."