Myanmar Cyclone Kills at Least 22,500

The cyclone that recently swept through Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta has swept away entire villages, killing at least 22,500 people. An estimated 41,000 remain missing.

The cyclone is the most devastating storm to have hit Asia since the 1991 event which killed 143,000 in neighboring Bangladesh.

Helicopters are flying people out of the hardest-hit villages and dropping supplies, as thirst, hunger and disease now pose serious threats to the cyclone's hundreds of thousands of survivors. International aid, too, is beginning to pour in. More than half of Myanmar's 53 million residents live in the five worst-hit states, according to officials.

Source: The Malaysia Star