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Dramatic rise in death toll feared

YANGON: Survivors of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar stormed a few shops that opened on Wednesday in the devastated Irrawaddy delta, said the U.N. as little aid reached the area since the cyclone killed more than 22,000 persons.

Corpses floated in salty floodwaters and witnesses said survivors tried desperately to reach dry ground. The U.N. said as many as one million persons were homeless. Richard Horsey, Bangkok-based spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid predicted the number of fatalities could rise “dramatically.” Aid workers started distributing supplies, including water purification tablets, mosquito nets, plastic sheeting and basic medical supplies.

But heavily flooded areas were accessible only by boat, with helicopters unable to deliver relief supplies there, he added. The U.N. World Food Program said one million persons may have been left homeless, with some villages almost destroyed and vast rice-growing areas wiped out. — AP

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