Up to 128,000 dead in Myanmar cyclone: Red Cross

Red Cross estimated that the cyclone death toll in Myanmar could be around 128,000, a figure higher than the government's tally.

International aid agencies were preparing everything from anti-snake venom kits to plastic roofing as they warned that a second wave of deaths would follow the Myanmar cyclone disaster unless the military regime lets in more aid quickly.

The Red Cross estimated that the cyclone death toll in Myanmar could be as high as 128,000 — a much higher figure than a tally by the government, which continued to issue few visas to foreign aid experts, and all but shut them out of the hardest-hit area.

The grim forecast came on Wednesday as heavy

rains drenched the devastated Irrawaddy River delta, disrupting aid operations already struggling to reach up to 2.5 million people in urgent need of food, water and shelter.

Story continues below this ad

“Another couple of days exposed to those conditions can only lead to worsening health conditions and compound the stress people are living in,” said Shantha Bloemen, a spokeswoman for UNICEF.

Myanmar’s government issued a revised casualty toll on Wednesday night, saying 38,491 were known dead and 27,838 were missing.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, however, said its estimate put the number of dead between 68,833 and 127,990. The Geneva-based body said the range came from a compilation based on other estimates from 22 different organisations, including the Myanmar Red Cross Society, and on media reports.