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 07 September 2008 00:16 BST

Hundreds killed in Burmese cyclone

Sunday, 04 May 2008 15:44
Hundreds of people killed in Burma after tropical cyclone tears through south-east Asian country

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At least 351 people have been killed in Burma after a powerful tropical cyclone tore through the south-east Asian country, state television has reported.

Cyclone Nargis, which hit Rangoon, Burma's largest city, at 05:00 local time (23:00 BST on Saturday), has already led to five states being declared disaster zones.

The tropical storm has brought with it winds of up to 190kmh, forecasters claim, which have cut power supplies around most of the country.

Burma's military government says the Irrawaddy Delta region is the worst hit, with only one in four buildings surviving intact.

An information ministry official told the AFP news agency troops had been deployed to help rescue efforts.

"We are trying to get back to the normal situation as soon as possible," he said.

Tens of thousands of the delta's residents are still without homes following heavy flooding last summer.

Further details of the storm's damage are proving difficult to obtain after communication networks in Rangoon were knocked out.

The cyclone has placed next week's referendum on Burma's draft military constitution in doubt.End of story


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