soldiers were washed away in a swift current. None of the soldiers are believed to have survived the incident. Throughout the country, damage was estimated to have exceeded $6 million. By May 24, 400 bodies had been recovered but at least 6,000 more were known to be missing and believed dead. Many of these people are believed to have been swept out to sea. Following the storm's destructive landfall, hundreds of soldiers from the Pakistan army were deployed to the region. They assisted in search and rescue operations as well as relocating survivors to shelters. According to the Associated Press, the Government of Pakistan made no attempts to evacuate residents before the cyclone made landfall, likely resulting in the large number of fatalities. At least $1 million in relief funds was to be supplied by the government. Records Upon reaching its peak intensity, the storm became the most intense cyclone ever recorded in the Arabian Sea since records began. It surpassed the record set just a year earlier by Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm ARB 02 which attained winds of 165 km/h (105 mph 3-minute sustained) and a minimum pressure of 958 mbar (hPa; ). Since then, the storm has been surpassed as the strongest in the region. In June 2007, Cyclone Gonu became the first Category 5-equivalent storm ever recorded in the area. Additionally, the JTWC estimated that another storm, Cyclone Phet in 2010, attained higher sustained winds than ARB 01 in 1999; however, the IMD does not support this as it is based on one minute mean. IMD calculate windspeed based on three-minute mean. This Cyclone is the only Major Cyclone and Extremely Severe Cyclone to make Landfall in Pakistan. See also 1999 North Indian Ocean cyclone season 1998 Gujarat cyclone Cyclone Tauktae References Extremely severe cyclonic storms Pakistan cyclone Tropical cyclones in Pakistan Non-combat military operations involving Pakistan