Aid distribution begins in stricken Burma
Wednesday, 07 May 2008 09:08
Latest image shows post-Nargis damage in Burma
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Aid agencies have begun distributing food aid in Burma, four days after Cyclone Nargis left an estimated 22,000 people dead.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said truckloads of food aid were beginning to reach those left without shelter after Nargis struck over the weekend.
And World Vision UK, which estimates two million people have been affected and urgently need water and shelter, said the Burmese government had permitted humanitarian aid via air and that no tax would be levied on aid.
There have been concerns the military junta which governs Burma, responsible for the suppression of pro-democracy protests in autumn 2007, would prove an obstacle to providing humanitarian assistance to those hit by Nargis.
According to the AFP news agency aid groups were still reporting on Wednesday they have not been granted access to the country to assess the extent of the damage.
"It is unclear to us the extent to which normal operating protocols will have to be followed at this time," Andrew Kirkwood of Save the Children told the BBC.
"Every indication is that everyone realises that this is an unprecedented event in Myanmar's [Burma's] history and the government is much more open to international assistance than it has ever been."
WFP's country director Chris Kaye said the Burma government was responding to the crisis well.
"We are in close contact with the government on the response," he said.
"So far, the government has provided some valuable cooperation. In order to meet the needs of the persons most badly affected by the disaster, much more cooperation will be required in the short term."
More than 40,000 people are missing and tens of thousands of homes have suffered severe damage or been destroyed outright, World Vision says.