Dhaka - The death toll from cyclone Aila that pounded parts of Bangladesh's coasts Monday rose to 34 as rescuers reported more bodies in the devastated areas, local administrations and media reports said Tuesday.

The Food and Disaster Management Ministry confirmed 34 deaths in 13 cyclone-battered administrative districts on the coastline.

"We are compiling reports on damage on lives and property from the district administrations. More reports are coming in and we will be able to come up with a final tally at the end of the day," Selina Begum, an on-duty officer at the ministry's control room, said.

Private radio and television channels, however, put the death toll as high as 65. It is reported that 19 bodies were recovered alone from Satkhira, a district adjacent to the Sundarbans world-heritage mangrove forest.

The cyclone that made landfall in parts of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal brought huge water surges that washed away tens of thousands of homesteads on the banks of the Bay of Bengal and offshore islands.

The cyclone, which packed winds of up to 100 kilometres per hour, has weakened into a land depression, the Bangladesh meteorological department said.

Food and Disaster Management Minister Abdur Razzak toured the affected zones to oversee the government's rescue and recovery efforts Tuesday.

An administrator in southern Barguna district, Swapan Kumar Sarkar, said rescue teams comprising Navy, Fire Service and Civil Defence were sent to remote areas as many people were rendered homeless because of the tidal surge.

Several hundred people were reported missing.

An earlier report on Monday said that nine people had died and 72 others were missing as the storm ripped through the coastal districts and inundated low-lying areas and islands. A passenger vessel and a motorboat capsized during the storm.

As the cyclone weakened, ferry operations resumed service after a 48-hour suspension. Activities at the main Chittagong Port returned to normal Tuesday but work at the country's second seaport in Mongla remained suspended.(dpa)