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| WORLD NEWS - WORLD NEWS - Burma |
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 05 May Burma cyclone kills 4,000 people
Around 4,000 people have been killed after a devastating cyclone hit western Burma on Saturday, according to state television.
Reports said all those deaths were recorded in Rangoon and Irrawaddy, the two of five regions so far declared disaster zones. Many more are feared dead in the outlying regions not yet reached by authorities or aid agencies.
A spokesman for the Burmese of ruling junta told the press in Rangoon that the final toll could reach 10,000 and that thousands of survivors are lacking shelter, drinking water, power and communications.
The Burmese authorities have has accepted offers of international help, and aid shipments are now being prepared.
Earlier today, the death toll was estimated at 351, but subsequent reports from state media increased the known death toll more than 10-fold. A further 2,879 people were reported missing and 41 injured.
The latest reports indicate that thousands of buildings have been flattened, power lines downed, trees uprooted, roads blocked and water supplies disrupted.
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