This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7387331.stm

The article has changed 16 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 13 Version 14
Aid arriving in cyclone-hit Burma Aid arriving in cyclone-hit Burma
(about 2 hours later)
Foreign aid is beginning to arrive in Burma, devastated by a cyclone that has left more than 22,000 people dead.Foreign aid is beginning to arrive in Burma, devastated by a cyclone that has left more than 22,000 people dead.
Neighbouring countries and the UN have dispatched planes carrying supplies - amid complaints that ruling generals are hampering the foreign aid effort. In the worst-affected area, the vast Irrawaddy delta in the south-west, witnesses speak of survivors walking for days past dead bodies to find help.
The UN has urged the authorities to let foreign aid workers into Burma. The head of the US embassy in Burma has warned that without speedy action the death toll there could top 100,000.
A vast swathe of the southern Irrawaddy delta remains under water. A US envoy in Burma told reporters the death toll could reach 100,000. Amid accusations of foot-dragging, the UN has urged Burma's junta to give fast access to aid staff and supplies.
Reports from the area - which bore the full force of the cyclone - speak of traumatised survivors emerging from floodwaters littered with bodies. Survivors of Saturday's cyclone are hungry, thirsty and vulnerable to disease - but given the huge area affected, and blocked roads, the challenge for aid workers is enormous, say reports.
Survivors are hungry, thirsty and vulnerable to disease - but given the vast area affected, and blocked roads, the challenge for aid workers is enormous, say reports.
AdvertisementAdvertisement
Footage of the aid operation in Burma from state-run TVFootage of the aid operation in Burma from state-run TV
'Right direction' The last Burmese death toll, on Tuesday, said 22,464 people had now been confirmed dead and another 41,054 people were missing as a result of high winds and the tidal surge.
In a statement, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged authorities in Burma - also known as Myanmar - to allow foreign aid workers and supplies into the country. Disease risk
Forget politics. Forget the military dictatorship. Let's just get aid and assistance through Australian PM Kevin Rudd Keeping a lid on chaos What remains is for the Burmese government to allow the international community to help its people. It is not a matter of politics US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Keeping a lid on chaos
Speaking to reporters, the UN's humanitarian chief John Holmes said the crisis was a "major catastrophe" and said aid had started to arrive.
He said that 24 countries had pledged assistance so far worth $30m (£15m), and a flash appeal would be launched on Friday once an initial assessment of need was complete. An assessment team was due in Burma on Thursday.
Mr Holmes said that aid agencies had faced difficulties accessing the disaster zone, adding that the rapid issuing of visas and customs clearance would be helpful.
But he dismissed a suggestion by the French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner that the UN Security Council should adopt a resolution allowing aid to be flown into the country by force as unnecessarily confrontational.
Co-operation from the Burmese authorities was, he said, "reasonable and heading in the right direction".
The BBC's Paul Danahar, in Burma, says this is the biggest challenge to the generals since the height of the pro-democracy movement in 1989.
But under pressure, they have begun to open the door to supplies, and now to foreign aid workers:
  • The UN says a plane loaded with 25 tonnes of supplies and a small team of rescue staff will arrive in Burma within days
  • The UN's World Food Programme has dispatched an additional four planes loaded with supplies including high-energy biscuits
  • Chinese media say a plane carrying 60 tonnes of aid has landed in the biggest city, Rangoon
  • Planes from Thailand, India and Indonesia are also being dispatched
  • The WFP has already begun to distribute existing food aid stocks in and around Rangoon, and the Red Cross has a handful of expatriate and many local staff on the ground.
But Burma has refused to waive visa requirements for many waiting aid workers.
They have also so far failed to respond to a US offer to divert three naval ships exercising in the Gulf of Thailand to the aid operation, the US says.
Before and after: extent of flooding clear in Nasa satellite imagesEnlarge Image
The National League for Democracy (NLD) - the party of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi - has urged the junta to accept international aid in a statement.
The Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd urged the junta to "forget politics".
The Burmese junta has also attracted criticism for its decision to plough ahead with a referendum on a proposed constitution on Saturday, with the possible exception of the worst-hit regions.
Homeless
Burmese state media reported on Tuesday that 22,464 people had now been confirmed dead and another 41,054 people were missing as a result of Cyclone Nargis, which saw swathes of Burma hit by high winds and a tidal surge.
Up to a million people are thought to have been left homeless in the crisis, which has left thousands of square kilometres of the Irrawaddy delta under water.Up to a million people are thought to have been left homeless in the crisis, which has left thousands of square kilometres of the Irrawaddy delta under water.
Shari Villarosa, the charge d'affaires of the US embassy in Burma - also known as Myanmar - said food and water were running short in the delta area and called the situation there "increasingly horrendous."
"There is a very real risk of disease outbreaks as long as this continues," Ms Villarosa said, according to Associated Press.
The death toll could reach or exceed 100,000 as humanitarian conditions worsen, she said - based on information from a non-governmental organisation that she would not name.
Before and after: extent of flooding clear in Nasa satellite imagesEnlarge Image
Accounts from the Irrawaddy delta have spoken of fistfights breaking out between survivors desperate to seize dwindling supplies of food and water.
Some are breaking open coconuts for the water inside, while others are driven to eating dead fish.
Poor sanitation, rotting bodies in the water, and flooding could all bring disease, aid agencies warn.
They highlight the risk of mosquito-borne malaria and dengue fever, along with water-borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery.
Calls for access
The Burmese authorities have attracted criticism over claims they are refusing to provide visas to waiting foreign aid workers and have spurned some offers of help, such as a US offer to deploy three naval ships and two planes in the region.
The US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is the latest to voice such criticism, telling reporters:
"What remains is for the Burmese government to allow the international community to help its people. It should be a simple matter. It is not a matter of politics."
Earlier, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged authorities in Burma to assist the entry of foreign aid workers and supplies into the country "in every way possible" - strong diplomatic language, says the BBC's correspondent at the UN, Laura Trevelyan.
Speaking to reporters, the UN's humanitarian chief John Holmes accepted that aid agencies had faced difficulties accessing the disaster zone.
Aid arrives
But, he said, co-operation from the Burmese authorities was "reasonable and heading in the right direction".
EXTENT OF THE DEVASTATION UN map showing worst-hit areas, based on satellite imagery [1.13MB] Most computers will open PDFs automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader Download the reader here See how satellites tracked cycloneSend us your commentsEXTENT OF THE DEVASTATION UN map showing worst-hit areas, based on satellite imagery [1.13MB] Most computers will open PDFs automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader Download the reader here See how satellites tracked cycloneSend us your comments
Haggard refugees are said to be gathering in wrecked towns in the area, including Labutta. He dismissed a suggestion by the French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner that the UN Security Council should adopt a resolution allowing aid to be flown into the country by force as unnecessarily confrontational.
In Bogalay, the bodies of people killed by the storm "drifted into the sea with the tide, and are now resurfacing on the shore," a survivor who has been travelling in the region told the BBC's Burmese service. Mr Holmes said 24 countries had pledged assistance so far worth $30m (£15m), and a flash appeal would be launched on Friday once an initial assessment of need was complete.
"The storm was followed by tidal waves and ships are marooned. You can see the boats near the main market. Ninety percent of Bogalay town is destroyed." An assessment team was due in Burma on Thursday.
Rotting bodies were also floating in Hlaing river, in a slightly less affected area east of Rangoon, the survivor said. A stream of aid is now in, or on its way, to Burma:
Survivors face poor sanitation and a lack of access to clean water.
    class="bulletList">
  • The UN says a plane loaded with 25 tonnes of supplies and a small team of rescue staff will arrive in Burma within days
  • The UN's World Food Programme has dispatched an additional four planes loaded with supplies including high-energy biscuits
  • Chinese media say a plane carrying 60 tonnes of aid has landed in the biggest city, Rangoon
  • Planes from Thailand, India and Indonesia are also being dispatched
  • The WFP has already begun to distribute existing food aid stocks in and around Rangoon, and the Red Cross has a handful of expatriate and many local staff on the ground.
Flooding could lead to outbreaks of mosquito-borne malaria and dengue fever, while water-borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery are also a threat.


Are you in Burma, or do you have friends and family there? Have you - or they - been affected by the cyclone? Send your comments and pictures using the post form below.Are you in Burma, or do you have friends and family there? Have you - or they - been affected by the cyclone? Send your comments and pictures using the post form below.
You can also send your comments via text to +44 7624 800 100:You can also send your comments via text to +44 7624 800 100:
Send your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, text them to +44 7725 100 100 or you have a large file you can upload here. Read the terms and conditions Send your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, text them to +44 7725 100 100 or you have a large file you can upload here. Read the terms and conditions
At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws.At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws.
Name
Name