Burma's military rulers have given permission for the first major airlift of international aid into the country following last weekend's devastating cyclone.
The official death toll following the powerful storm stands at almost 30,000, but a US diplomat has said more than 100,000 people may have perished.
Four aircraft loaded with critically needed food from the UN World Food Programme are due to land at Rangoon airport this morning.
The aid will then be transported to the Irawaddy delta, the area worst affected by Cyclone Nargis.
Burma's military government has been accused of hampering the aid effort by maintaining visa restrictions on foreign visitors.
Only a handful of UN aid workers have so far been let into the impoverished country.
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