The World - News from Sept. 5, 1988

Floodwaters around Bangladesh’s three major rivers receded slightly, but officials offered no hope of immediate relief for more than 25 million people left homeless. Officials predicted a slow receding of waters covering up to 90% of the capital of Dhaka and said that the total damage from the flooding would probably top $1.2 billion. Information Minister Mahbubur Rahman put the death toll at 333, but he conceded that the figure was three days old and that the full extent of the devastation is unknown because of disrupted communications. Unofficial estimates and news reports put the toll at more than 600.