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First US aid plane lands in Burma

Other News Materials 12 May 2008 14:35 (UTC +04:00)

The first US aid flight to Burma following the devastating cyclone nine days ago has landed in Rangoon after a journey from an air base in Thailand.

Permission for the aircraft to land in Rangoon was granted after a week of talks with Burma's military rulers.

Experts have warned that aid entering the country is vastly inadequate for the scale of the disaster.

They say help has reached less than one third of those in need - and say many thousands of people are still missing.

On Sunday, Burmese TV said the death toll had risen to 28,458, while 33,416 were missing.

Aid agencies, however, estimate that 100,000 have died and warn that this figure could rise to 1.5 million without provision of clean water and sanitation.

Nine days after Cyclone Nargis struck Burma's low-lying Irrawaddy Delta region, survivors are beginning to gather in makeshift camps around the edges of the disaster zone.

The UN, which has launched a $187m (£96m) appeal for aid, says people urgently need food, water, shelter and medical aid.

Many are said to be dehydrated or suffering from injuries that have not been treated.

Fresh video footage has emerged that shows the extent of the suffering, including the corpses of children lined up in a makeshift morgue.

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