Aila's terrible human toll in Sunderbans

Thousands of Villagers in Sunderbans have been displaced from their homes by a tidal wave caused by Cyclone Aila.

Cyclone Aila has hit parts of coastal Bangladesh and West Bengal, triggering tidal surges and floods and destroying thousands of homes.

The cyclone has claimed nearly 160 lives so far, and locals claim that the unofficial toll is much higher.

The cyclone has left over 200,000 homeless.

In the aftermath of the disaster, a human tragedy is unfolding every moment.

Tardy relief machinery has failed to cover the remote villages where thousands now wait for dry food, water pouches and clothes.

Hunger and water-borne diseases are claiming more victims in Sunderbans villages.

Aid agencies and government officials say that over 50 lakh people are suffering in the region.

Cyclone Aila has hit one of the most underdeveloped areas in Bengal, where survival includes tacking extreme poverty and a regular onslaught of floods and Tiger attacks.

On a visit to the cyclone-hit areas on Tuesday, Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was heckled and jeered at by the locals, who demanded to know what the Left Front government had done for the Sunderbans during its 32-year rule.