Cyclone: 1.5m face death

2008-05-11 21:10

Yangon - Aid groups have warned that up to 1.5 million people face death if they do not soon get clean water and sanitation.

To add to the emergency, a Red Cross boat carrying relief supplies for survivors of Myanmar's cyclone sank on Sunday.

The government also has announced the confirmed death toll has jumped to nearly 29 000.

Heavy showers were forecast for the coming week, further complicating delivery of aid that is still barely reaching victims in the Irrawaddy delta, ravaged by the May 3 cyclone.

The double-decker boat that sank after apparently hitting a submerged tree trunk was carrying supplies for more than 1 000 people and was the first Red Cross shipment to the disaster area, said the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

It said all four relief workers on board were safe.

"This is a great loss for the Myanmar Red Cross and for the people who need aid so urgently," said Aung Kyaw Htut, the distribution team leader for the Myanmar Red Cross.

Death toll at least 28 458

The boat was travelling from Yangon to Mawlamyinegyun, a 12-hour journey, when it sank near Bogalay town, which was extensively damaged by the cyclone, the IFRC said.

IFRC's head in Yangon, Michael Annear, described the sinking as "a big blow".

Myanmar's state television said on Sunday the death toll had gone up by about 5 000 to 28 458, and reduced the number of missing to 33 416.

International aid groups, however, say the death toll could eventually top 100 000 as conditions worsened.

British aid group Oxfam said on Sunday that the death toll could multiply by up to 15 times, or rise to 1.5 million, if people did not get clean water and sanitation soon. This could result in a medical catastrophe.

"It's really crucial that people get access to clean water sources and sanitation to avoid unnecessary deaths and suffering," said Oxfam regional chief Sarah Ireland in Bangkok, Thailand.

The military government has refused to let in most foreign experts who have experience in handling humanitarian disasters.

It insists it is capable of distributing the aid being pledged by international donors. Meanwhile, aid is piling up in foreign countries, awaiting approval from the junta.

Situation looks bleak

The country's main airport in Yangon is also incapable of handling more than five flights a day, when it should be taking in at least one every hour, said Plan, a London-based children's aid group.

"Logistically, the situation looks bleak," it said in a statement. "In short, they have one congested airport, ill equipped to deal with the influx of cargo, no port, restricted fuel, and no trucks."

Aid group World Vision said it had requested visas for 20 people and received approval for two, while the United Nations World Food Programme had one approved out of the 16 it requested. Still, the UN was making some progress in aid delivery.

The junta released 38 tons of high-energy biscuits to the WFP which had been confiscated on Friday.

"We're delighted and very encouraged by what is a very positive sign," said WFP spokesperson Marcus Prior.

He said a Thai Airways flight ferried 4.4 tons of high-energy biscuits for the WFP on Sunday, and a second flight from Italy would bring 30 tons of supplies and equipment later.

But World Vision, which has a big presence in Myanmar, said relief material delivered so far is a drop in the ocean.

Fleeing inundated villages

"It is very obvious that of the thousands of people who have been helped there are tens of thousands who have not been reached," said World Vision's Samson Jeyakumar in Bangkok. He said its supplies were running out in Yangon.

Many survivors have been without help for more than a week after fleeing their inundated villages to take shelter in monasteries and schools in towns.

The canals and flooded roads to higher ground were littered with the bloated bodies of humans and animals. The stench of death was everywhere.

- AP