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| Version 5 | Version 6 |
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| Foreign envoys to see Burma delta | Foreign envoys to see Burma delta |
| (3 days later) | |
| Foreign diplomats in Burma say the military government has promised to take them on a tour of areas of the Irrawaddy delta hit by Cyclone Nargis. | Foreign diplomats in Burma say the military government has promised to take them on a tour of areas of the Irrawaddy delta hit by Cyclone Nargis. |
| But the international community remains frustrated at the slow progress of aid after the disaster, which left more than 70,000 people dead or missing. | But the international community remains frustrated at the slow progress of aid after the disaster, which left more than 70,000 people dead or missing. |
| A BBC reporter in the delta saw little sign of official help and foreign aid workers have been barred. | A BBC reporter in the delta saw little sign of official help and foreign aid workers have been barred. |
| UN chief Ban Ki-Moon is still waiting to speak to Burma's military rulers. | UN chief Ban Ki-Moon is still waiting to speak to Burma's military rulers. |
| A UN spokeswoman, Michelle Montas, told the BBC the phone had been ringing but no one was picking up. | A UN spokeswoman, Michelle Montas, told the BBC the phone had been ringing but no one was picking up. |
| While official death figures from Burma - also known as Myanmar - have risen to more than 43,000, with nearly 28,000 missing, the Red Cross and UN both say the toll could top 100,000. | While official death figures from Burma - also known as Myanmar - have risen to more than 43,000, with nearly 28,000 missing, the Red Cross and UN both say the toll could top 100,000. |
| Heavy rain has been lashing the delta, compounding the misery of survivors. | Heavy rain has been lashing the delta, compounding the misery of survivors. |
| No aid in delta | No aid in delta |
| A group of diplomats will be taken to the delta region on Saturday, Shari Villarosa, charge d'affaires at the US embassy told The Associated Press. | A group of diplomats will be taken to the delta region on Saturday, Shari Villarosa, charge d'affaires at the US embassy told The Associated Press. |
| It is not clear how much access the diplomats will have to areas outside the official tour route. | It is not clear how much access the diplomats will have to areas outside the official tour route. |
| The BBC's Natalia Antelava reports that the muddy banks of the Irrawaddy Delta are lined with white, swollen bodies and the air reeks of rotting flesh. | The BBC's Natalia Antelava reports that the muddy banks of the Irrawaddy Delta are lined with white, swollen bodies and the air reeks of rotting flesh. |
| Bereaved survivors there lack fresh water and have barely enough rice to get by, our correspondent says. | Bereaved survivors there lack fresh water and have barely enough rice to get by, our correspondent says. |
| The EU's top aid official, Louis Michel, failed to get permission to travel to the delta and was leaving Burma on Friday. | The EU's top aid official, Louis Michel, failed to get permission to travel to the delta and was leaving Burma on Friday. |
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| People wait for help in the worst-hit Irrawaddy Delta | People wait for help in the worst-hit Irrawaddy Delta |
| He said he had been taken to "a rather perfect, organised camp" near Rangoon. | He said he had been taken to "a rather perfect, organised camp" near Rangoon. |
| Many relief workers are awaiting visas and most of those who have been allowed into the country remain confined to Rangoon. | Many relief workers are awaiting visas and most of those who have been allowed into the country remain confined to Rangoon. |
| Mr Michel asked why disaster emergency experts were being refused visas. | Mr Michel asked why disaster emergency experts were being refused visas. |
| "They didn't answer the question, and they did not give any reason," he said. | "They didn't answer the question, and they did not give any reason," he said. |
| Water alert | Water alert |
| Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein has announced that the "first phase of emergency relief" is over and that the focus is now on reconstruction. | Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein has announced that the "first phase of emergency relief" is over and that the focus is now on reconstruction. |
| EXTENT OF THE DEVASTATION See map and satellite imagesSend us your comments | EXTENT OF THE DEVASTATION See map and satellite imagesSend us your comments |
| Large quantities of international aid are being delivered to the region but are awaiting permission for delivery to areas hardest-hit by the cyclone. | Large quantities of international aid are being delivered to the region but are awaiting permission for delivery to areas hardest-hit by the cyclone. |
| According to the Red Cross, aid agencies have been able to reach only around 20% to 30% of cyclone victims and hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of diseases such as dysentery because of lack of clean water. | According to the Red Cross, aid agencies have been able to reach only around 20% to 30% of cyclone victims and hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of diseases such as dysentery because of lack of clean water. |
| "If clean water isn't available, it's going to be the biggest killer in the post-disaster environment," Thomas Gurtner told The Associated Press. | "If clean water isn't available, it's going to be the biggest killer in the post-disaster environment," Thomas Gurtner told The Associated Press. |
| "Food is urgent but you die in three days from acute diarrhoea. You die of starvation in a period of weeks. | "Food is urgent but you die in three days from acute diarrhoea. You die of starvation in a period of weeks. |
| "The immediate life-savers are water and shelter." | "The immediate life-savers are water and shelter." |
| The Association of South East Asian Nations is due to hold a high-level meeting in the coming days that is expected to lay the framework for a broader aid donors conference. | The Association of South East Asian Nations is due to hold a high-level meeting in the coming days that is expected to lay the framework for a broader aid donors conference. |
| Burma's military leadership has warned that those who hoard or sell aid on the black market will be prosecuted, amid international reports of misuse of some aid shipments. | Burma's military leadership has warned that those who hoard or sell aid on the black market will be prosecuted, amid international reports of misuse of some aid shipments. |
| The generals have also lauded what they said was a 92% approval of a new constitution in a referendum held last Saturday. | The generals have also lauded what they said was a 92% approval of a new constitution in a referendum held last Saturday. |