A Chinese aircraft, Air China, in its regular flights from Kunming to Yangon, brought along 2 tons of relief supplies from the Yunnan provincial government of China Thursday afternoon for delivery to Myanmar cyclone-hit victims.
The first batch of Yunnan province's aid supplies, as part of its 250,000 U.S. dollars' aid, include anti-malaria and anti-biotic medicines. while construction materials such as galvanized iron sheets are being transported across border by road.
China has sent three batches of relief materials since last week under the country's emergency relief aid of 1 million U.S. dollars and 30 million yuans. These items comprised medicine, compressed food, blankets, tents and water purifiers.
Arriving on Thursday were also those from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United States, World Food Program (WFP), The Red Cross of the United Arab Emirate and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
A severe tropical cyclone Nargis, which occurred over the Bay of Bengal, hit five divisions and states -- Ayeyawaddy, Yangon, Bago, Mon and Kayin on May 2-3, of which Ayeyawaddy and Yangon inflicted the heaviest casualties and infrastructural damage. Hard-hit coastal towns in the southwestern Ayeyawaddy division include Haing Gyi Island, Laputta, Mawlamyinegyun, Bogalay, Phyarpon, Kyaiklat, Ngaputaw, and Dedaye, while worst-hit areas inYangon division comprised Kungyangon, Thanlyin, Kyauktan, Twantay,Kawmu as well as the Yangon city.
According to updated official death toll as of Wednesday evening, a total of 38,491 have been killed in the storm with altogether 27,838 people still remained missing and 1,403 injured.
(Xinhua News Agency May 16, 2008)
