Delta dwellers bear the brunt

Yangon: Most of the cyclone victims in Myanmar were killed in the Irrawaddy river delta, a remote but densely populated region of malarial swampland that is hard to reach at the best of times.

The city of Bogalay, in the heart of the delta, suffered the brunt of the storm's fury with 10,000 people killed and 95 per cent of homes there destroyed, the minister for social welfare Maung Maung Swe said yesterday.

Only one road links Bogalay to the main city and former capital of Yangon, but flood waters, fallen trees and other debris have rendered it all but impassable.

Nasa's Satellite images taken on Monday show the entire coastal plain under water.

Myanmar's information minister, Brigadier General Kyaw Hsan, said the junta was ready to welcome aid from "friendly" countries such as China and Thailand.

Meanwhile, Indian Meteorological Department - mandated by the World Meteorological Organisation to track cyclones over South Asia and Southeast Asia - said yesterday it had given their neighbour 48 hours' warning.

The United Nations said in Geneva Myanmar's military rulers are allowing in emergency supplies but have not yet approved visas for some aid workers seeking to assess the damage.

The junta has granted a two-week delay delay on constitutional referendum to voters in areas hardest hit by the cyclone.