BARGUNA, Bangladesh — Dhalan Mridha and his family had ignored the high cyclone alert issued by authorities until just before midnight, when he says "the winds came like hundreds of demons" in the fishing village of Galachipa.

"Our small hut was swept away like a piece of paper, and we all ran for shelter," said Mridha, a 45-year-old farm worker, weeping.

On the way to a shelter, Mridha was separated from his wife, mother and two children. The next morning he found their bodies stuck in a battered bush.

The coast abounded with such grim tales today following Tropical Cyclone Sidr, the worst cyclone to hit Bangladesh in a decade.

The official death toll from the cyclone that hit Thursday had reached 3,113 today, according to the Disaster Management Ministry. However, there were fears it could be much higher.

The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, the Islamic equivalent of the Red Cross, warned the toll could hit 10,000 once rescuers reach outlying islands.

Helicopters airlifted food to hungry survivors while rescuers struggled to reach remote areas. But relief items such as tents, rice and water have been slow to reach many.

An American military medical team is already in Bangladesh and two U.S. naval ships, each carrying at least 20 helicopters, among tons of other supplies, will be made available if the Bangladesh government requests them.

JERUSALEM — The Israeli Cabinet today approved the release of 441 Palestinian prisoners, the prime minister's office said, in a goodwill gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of a U.S.-hosted Mideast conference.Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the gesture was meant to bolster the moderate Abbas, who is in a bitter rivalry with the Islamic militant group Hamas. None of the prisoners to be freed belong to Hamas.The release was approved ahead of a meeting between Olmert and Abbas as they prepare for the U.S. summit next week in Annapolis, Md.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A Supreme Court hand-picked by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf swiftly dismissed legal challenges to his continued rule today, opening the way for him to serve another five-year term — this time solely as a civilian president.The opposition has denounced the new court, saying any decisions by a tribunal stripped of independent voices had no credibility. Musharraf purged the court Nov. 3 when he declared emergency rule, days before the tribunal was expected to rule on his eligibility to serve as president.Today's court ruling could hasten Musharraf's decision to give up his army post. The general has said he would quit as armed forces commander by the end of the month, assuming he was given the legal go-ahead by the court to remain as president.With pressure mounting to get the country on a path to democracy, the government today set Jan. 8 as the date for the parliamentary elections.