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Myanmar Death Toll Hits 22,000 |
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Wednesday, 07 May 2008 |
The death toll from Cyclone Nargis that struck Myanmar has soared
above 22,000 with more than 41,000 others missing in the country's deadliest
storm on record.
The Myanmar government has appealed for international aid amid the rising death
toll in the wake of Cyclone Nargis which smashed the country's central region
over the weekend.
The government declared a state of emergency in five low-lying provinces, mostly
in Irrawaddy delta, where villages were flattened by winds and rain.
With more than 40,000 still missing and as many as one million possibly left
homeless, the international community on Tuesday was struggling to deliver aid
to the country.
The UN's World Food Program said late Tuesday it has begun distributing aid in
damaged areas of Yangon despite heavy flooding and road damages.
The worst-hit areas are becoming accessible for the first time and the death
toll is "increasing rapidly," Richard Horsey, a spokesman for the UN Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in an interview with Bloomberg
Television from Bangkok.
"We are struggling to get essential clean water and health provisions out to
prevent a second wave, if you like, of disaster," he said. "It may be the case
that the current death toll is not the final death toll, unfortunately."
Myanmar, ruled by the military since 1962, is scheduled to hold a referendum on
May 10 for a new constitution before elections in 2010. The government said it
would go ahead with the referendum but would delay the vote in the
worst-affected areas.
Source: AIM News
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