Monday, May 12, 2008    Weather: weather icon Hi: 20°C / Lw: 13°C

Asia


UN warns Burma death toll could rise 'dramatically'

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

The United Nations has warned that the death toll from last weekend's powerful cyclone in Burma could rise "dramatically".

The official death toll currently stands at almost 22,500, but there are fears that 60,000 or more people may have been killed.

Much of the Irawaddy delta, which bore the brunt of the storm, remains completely cut off and aid agencies are struggling to distribute relief supplies to the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the disaster.

Up to one million have been left homeless following Cyclone Nargis.

Burma's military rulers say they will welcome international aid, but there have been reports of foreign aid workers being forced to wait for visas.

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