Tropical storms swept through southern Bangladesh, killing at least 10 people, injuring more than 200 others and leaving several thousand villagers homeless, The Associated Press quoted a news agency as saying Friday. The storms struck late Thursday, leveling hundreds of mostly tin-roofed houses in Bhola district, 104 kilometers (65 miles) south of the country's capital of Dhaka, the United News of Bangladesh reported, quoting local government administrator Belayet Hossain. Officials could not be immediately reached for comment Friday. Rescuers recovered 10 bodies buried under the debris of collapsed houses early Friday, the agency reported. Dozens of injured were taken to a hospital, local television station ATN Bangla said. The storms knocked down trees and electricity poles, plunging the affected areas into darkness and hampering rescue work. Several thousand people were left homeless in dozens of farming villages, the TV station said. Seasonal storms are common in Bangladesh, a tropical delta nation of 140 million people.
