Burma cyclone death toll continues to rise

08/05/2008 18:22:56

Reports from one of the worst cyclone-hit areas of Burma say 80,000 people have been killed in one district alone.

A local military official quoted by the AFP news agency says dozens of villages surrounding the Irrawaddy delta town of Labutta have been wiped out.

State radio in Burma has been putting the overall death toll from Cyclone Nargis at almost 23,000, with more than 42,000 missing.

Earlier, US diplomats said they expected the number of dead to be far higher.

Aid push
The United States has urged Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, India and China to use any influence they have with Burma to allow relief teams in.

Discussions have been held at the United Nations in New York on how to encourage Burma to accept more outside help.

France says it may seek a UN Security Council resolution forcing Burma to admit foreign aid workers and emergency supplies.

Some foreign aid has reached the country from Thailand and China, and a UN World Food Program plane is on its way from Italy.

UN Emergency Relief under-secretary-general John Holmes, says the process must be speeded up.

"We have been discussing that intensively with the government in Myanmar both here and in Yangoon, (and) I think we are making some progress," he said.

"Members of the initial assessment team which we had assembled in Bangkok will be flying into Myanmar tomorrow."

Mr Holmes says the Rangoon is cooperating, albeit slowly.

"They might have refused all international assistance, they might have refused a dialogue with us, they might have said in a blanket way no international aid workers will be allowed in. They've not said that," he said.

"We've made some progress, we need to go a lot further and a lot faster."

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