Hundreds of thousands of survivors were trapped today as rescuers fought to reach towns along Bangladesh’s coast ravaged by a powerful cyclone that killed at least 1,723 people.

Aid workers struggled today to help hundreds of thousands of survivors of a cyclone that blasted Bangladesh, killing a reported 1,100 people, savaging coastal towns and leaving millions without power in the deadliest storm in more than a decade.

A POWERFUL cyclone packing 240kmh winds slammed into Bangladesh last night, flattening homes, toppling trees and power poles, and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee for shelters in this low-lying nation.

More than 600,000 coastal villagers took shelter inland today as a cyclone rapidly approached Bangladesh’s south-western shores, spawning cold drizzles, strong winds and high waves, a weather official said.