Myanmar survivors emerge

Thousands of shell-shocked survivors of the Myanmar cyclone emerged on Wednesday, desperate for food and water after trekking for days through flood waters littered with the bodies of the dead.

An AFP reporter who reached the remote southern delta hardest hit by the storm, which left more than 60 000 dead or missing, said there was virtually no food or fresh water in this ruined town blanketed by the stench of death.

The grim accounts of survivors came as the United Nations said the country's reclusive military rulers, under pressure to let in foreign aid workers, had approved an emergency flight five days after the tragedy.

"They have lost their families, they have nowhere to stay and they have nothing to eat," one witness said in the town of Labutta after Cyclone Nargis washed away entire villages in one of the world's poorest nations.

Another said: "We can't sleep at night, because we can hear people shouting at night. Maybe these are the ghosts of the villagers."

Those who had the strength to do so spent days picking through murky water strewn with the festering and bloated dead, desperate for shelter, food, water and medical care after one of the world's worst natural disasters.

Higher than the tree-tops

After days of criticism aimed at the secretive generals who have ruled the former Burma for nearly half a century — and who have hesitated to let in foreign relief workers — the United Nations said experts were on the way.

"We hope that this spirit of openness will continue," said spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs in Switzerland, announcing that a plane with 25 tons of aid was en route from Italy with UN disaster relief experts on board.

The news was a welcome development for international aid agencies who had bitterly complained that time was running out for the millions facing the risk of disease and starvation.

Pledges of cash, supplies and assistance have been pouring in from around the world but the generals — wary of any foreign influence that could weaken their tenacious control — have kept foreigners away.

The military, best known internationally for its long detention of democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi, had insisted that experts well versed in coping with catastrophes around the globe would not be automatically allowed in.

But after days of criticism of a government that declined help from abroad after the 2004 Asian tsunami, and bitter complaints that time was running out for those still alive, it was unclear if aid would be quick enough.

Delays in granting visas

"This is a critical moment for Myanmar's vulnerable populations. In the next few days assessments must be provided or thousands more could die," it said.

"The food security situation in the country, which was already severe, looks set to become far more acute," OCHA added.

Residents told AFP that the regime — which tightly controls all media and stifles the merest whiff of dissent — had not yet set up emergency shelters here, and that even a government rescue ship ran out of fuel and was stranded.

"We need emergency rescuers," said a local doctor, who warned many here were suffering from diarrhoea because of the miserable sanitary conditions.

"Assistance hasn't reached them yet and they are dying," said Andrew Kirkwood of Save the Children, one of the few aid agencies allowed to operate inside Myanmar.

"And clearly there are millions of homeless," he said. "But how many millions, we don't know."

Amid a public appeal for aid from Pope Benedict XVI, some relief supplies have been trickling in.

OCHA said the World Food Programme has already been able to distribute some food aid in Yangon.

A second transport plane from Thailand in two days landed on Wednesday, and aid groups have been distributing supplies they already had in the country.

And a Chinese Boeing 747-400 arrived in Yangon carrying 60 tons of emergency relief, Xinhua news agency reported Wednesday.

AFP