At least 15,000 killed in violent cyclone in Myanmar

www.chinaview.cn 2008-05-05 21:42:42

    YANGON, May 5 (Xinhua) --

At least 15,000 people have been killed in two divisions of Yangon and Ayeyawaddy in a violent cyclone storm Nargis that swept Myanmar's five divisions and states on last Friday and Saturday, according to official sources Monday evening.

    It is estimated that the casualties in Ayeyawaddy division's Bogalay alone will exceed 10,000 and at least 1,000 in Laputta in the same division.

    Earlier official figures show that 3,880 people were killed in Ayeyawaddy division including 20 in Bogalay and excluding Laputta, and 59 in Yangon division.

    The sources said that 2,375 people in Ayeyawaddy division and 504 in Yangon division are missing.

    In Haing Kyi island in the Ayeyawaddy division alone, nearly 20,000 houses were destroyed, leaving 92,706 people homeless, earlier report said.

    The deadly cyclone, which occurred over the Bay of Bengal, hit five divisions and states -- Yangon, Bago, Ayeyawaddy, Kayin and Mon.

    Myanmar has declared the five divisions and states as disaster-hit regions.

    The government has formed a national central committee for prevention of natural disaster to promptly and effectively carry out relief and resettlement tasks.  

Int'l flights to resume in Myanmar

www.chinaview.cn 2008-05-04 23:05:22  

    YANGON, May 4 (Xinhua) --

All international and domestic flights through Myanmar's Yangon International Airport will resume on Monday, the State Radio reported in a night broadcast on Sunday.

    The planned resumption of the flights was announced after repair was made on some of the damaged airport infrastructure caused by a violent cyclone Nargis that swept Yangon on Saturday.

    Besides, some of the waterway transport had resumed earlier on Sunday, the report said.

    In the deadly cyclone that stroke the country's five states and divisions on Friday and Saturday, a total of 351 people were killed, according to an official report.

    The dead included 332 from Ayeyawaddy division, including 162 in Haing Kyi Island, and 19 in Yangon division.

    In Haing Kyi island alone, nearly 20,000 houses were destroyed, leaving 92,706 people homeless.

    In addition, 1,550 houses were damaged in Kawa and Nyaungdon in the Ayeyawaddy division.

    In Yangon, the Hlaingtharyar industrial zone suffered heavy damage and loss, the report further said.

    The deadly cyclone, which occurred over the Bay of Bengal, entered Myanmar on Friday morning and lashed areas in southwestern coastal areas of Haing Gyi Island, Pathein, Myaungmya, Laputta, Mawlamyinegyun, Kyaiklat, Phyarpon, Bogalay.

    On the same day, the Nargis, at a wind speed of about 192 kilometers per hour with a diameter of 240 km, hit the biggest city of Yangon for a consecutive over 10 hours starting midnight until Saturday noon, almost totally devastating the city.

    Some five vessels capsized in the Yangon Port, an official report said earlier.

    Myanmar has declared the five divisions and states -- Yangon, Bago, Ayeyawaddy, Kayin and Mon, which were hit by current cyclone storm, as natural-disaster-hit regions.

    A national central committee for prevention of natural disaster has been formed with Prime Minister General Thein Sein as chairman to promptly and effectively carry out relief and resettlement tasks.

Editor: Yan Liang

Daily life partly resumes in cyclone-hit Myanmar former capital

www.chinaview.cn 2008-05-04 18:33:08  

    YANGON, May 4 (Xinhua) --

A minor part of the daily life started to resume in Myanmar's former capital of Yangon Sunday, the first day in the aftermath of the deadly cyclone Nargis strike the country for 10 hours from Saturday night to Saturday noon.

    Yangon residents began to move about mostly on foot as few number of public buses could run as such huge vehicles find impossible to fight their ways through roads densely blocked by the Nargis-triggered fallen trees and its long and thick branches.

    Only a number of small vehicles were seen picking up passengers who are worried and eager to travel and meet their relatives and friends probably in trouble and need help if victimized.

    Passengers traveling by road were stranded at bus terminals, even finding difficult to get a taxi as an alternative way, the fare of which became doubled, passengers said.

    Other passengers traveling by the waterway were also seen stranded at river port jetties as passenger vessels are suspended for the moment due to the reason that some Yangon port terminals got destroyed by the cyclone with some five vessels being reportedly capsized and the casualties are still unknown.

    A small number of private shops rather than big shopping centers have opened for business mostly with food shops congested with customers seeking to buy at least bread, milk, rice, meat and vegetable.

    As electric poles and cable wires as well as telephone wires fell down and got disconnected due to the cyclone, power and communications failure maddened the public. The telephone link was so destroyed to a degree that mobile connection is hardly accessible.

    Especially that the power failure has brought the city into darkness as sun sets except some particular buildings and some affordable people have power sources operated from big and small generators.

    The night time of Yangon was spent with silence with few people going out on streets except some with torch lights on urgent case. Meanwhile, there saw some number of police vehicles patrolling around the city for security purpose.

    Besides, people were seen queuing for getting water partly available from some underground water pipes.

    Moreover, Yangon residents are mostly organizing themselves under voluntary basis to chop fallen trees and branches blocking roads to clear way for traffic and lift trees pressing on buildings. Individual people are also doing the same with their residential compounds where trees fell lying.

    Some police members were also seen moving away the blockade in some areas like that near the City hall and the Shwedagon Pagoda.

    Still some people were busy repairing their roofs blown off by the storm wind.

    Conclusively, electricity, water supply and communication links are pressing need after the disaster.

    Meanwhile, Myanmar government has declared five divisions and states -- Yangon, Bago, Ayeyawaddy, Kayin and Mon -- hit by current cyclone storm, as natural-disaster-hit regions.

    The government said some parts of the country like areas in coastal regions of southwestern Ayeyawaddy division -- Haing Gyi Island, Pathein, Myaungmya, Laputta, Mawlamyinegyun, Kyaiklat, Phyarpon, Bogalay -- also met with serious damage but the details are still not available including the casualty figures which are not yet confirmed by the authorities.

    The terrible cyclone Nargis, which occurred over the Bay of Bengal and stroke Yangon at a wind speed of about 192 kilometers per hour with a diameter of 240 km, has almost totally devastated the former capital.

    Observers here commented that the loss due to the disaster is inestimable.

Editor: Gao Ying