Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"The death toll of more than 300,000 was mainly caused by a storm surge that flooded the densely populated Ganges delta. . . . Much of the fishing fleet, which supplied East Pakistan with its main source of protein, was devastated. In a tragedy of this scale, a rapid relief operation was crucial. Yet it was here that Pakistan's government, based in West Pakistan, was severely criticized. . . . Such incompetence quickly gave a major electoral boost to separatist political parties such as the Awami League." [Furtado: 1001 Days]