Myanmar designated on Monday three days of mourning for cyclone disaster starting from Tuesday to Thursday, according to an announcement of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) aired by the state radio in the evening.
The announcement, signed by First Secretary of the SPDC Lieutenant-General Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo, sets the mourning activities to start on Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. (local time) with the state flag to fly half-mast.
A deadly tropical cyclone Nargis, which occurred over the Bay of Bengal, hit five divisions and states -- Ayeyawaddy, Yangon, Bago, Mon and Kayin on May 2 and 3, of which Ayeyawaddy and Yangon inflicted the heaviest casualties and massive infrastructural damage including religious buildings, schools, hospitals, vessels, animals, crops cultivation, forest and ration.
According to an updated official death toll, as many as 77,738 people have been killed with 55,917 still missing totaling 133,655 in the disaster. The number of the injured went to 19,359.
(Xinhua News Agency May 20, 2008)
