By DPA,
New York : The UN’s efforts to assist cyclone-hit Myanmar have been hampered by the lack of information about the extent of destruction, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday.
“The UN will do whatever it can to provide urgent humanitarian assistance,” Ban said, adding that it would need more information about the problems and needs in the country.
Citing a death toll given by the government of Myanmar, he said: “I am very much alarmed by the incoming news that the casualties have risen to more than 10,000 people already.”
The UN resident and humanitarian coordinator, whose office in Myanmar includes UN agencies, the Red Cross Movement, and international and non-government organizations, said that urgent needs included plastic sheeting, water purification tablets, cooking sets, mosquito nets and emergency health kits and food.
The military government in the South-East Asian nation said Monday that there were more than 10,000 deaths from the storm, but the figure cannot be independently confirmed.