Bangladesh and India start mopping up after Cyclone Amphan

SATKHIRA, May 23 (AFP) - India and Bangladesh began a massive clean-up after the fiercest cyclone since 1999 killed at least 106 people, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

Cyclone Amphan flattened houses, uprooted trees, blew off roofs and toppled electricity pylons, while a storm surge inundated coastal villages and wrecked shrimp farms.

The UN office in Bangladesh estimates 10 million people were affected, and some 500,000 people may have lost their homes. But the death toll was far lower than in previous cyclones-- a result of improved weather forecasting and better response plans.

(Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP) Men walk past as waves hit a breakwater at Kasimedu fishing harbour in Chennai, during Cyclone Amphan.