Semi-random ramblings from the ethereal edge of...ahh forget it.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Update: Death toll may surpass 80,000 in Burma

According to Peter Lloyd, a correspondent for ABC News, deaths related to Cyclone Nargis may surpass 80,000.
And while the total number of deaths will, without doubt, continue to rise in the days to come, one must concede that Burma's failure to open up fully to foreign aid will inevitably cost more people their lives.
Here is the report from ABC News:
Kyi Minn is health adviser for World Vision in Burma and he says that on top of the 22,000 the military regime has admitted have died, there are another 60,000 missing - presumed dead.
ABC correspondent Peter Lloyd reports there are also indications that the massive aid effort is being hampered by a lack of organisation and infrastructure in Burma to distribute the urgently needed supplies.
The storm happened at the weekend, but the military junta's slowness to let international aid agencies in has meant that many devastated areas have still seen no help.
Agencies are still battling to get all the visas and permits they need to do their work in flooded and cyclone-ravaged towns and villages.
More details are emerging from Burma about the scale of death and destruction caused by cyclone Nargis.

No comments: