By Xinhua,
Manila : The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is exploring the possibility of providing experts to conduct an on-the-ground assessment of post-cyclone rehabilitation and reconstruction needs in Myanmar, the lender said on Thursday.
Based on the findings of the assessment, other additional assistance measures may be considered, ADB said in a press release.
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 infrastructural damage.
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 up to 19,359.
It is Southeast Asia’s worst natural disaster since the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, which killed more than 160,000 people, the majority in Indonesia’s Aceh province.
ADB, headquartered in Manila and established in 1966, is an international development finance institution whose mission is to help its developing members reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of their people. ADB is owned and financed by its 67 members, of which 48 (including Myanmar) are from the region and 19 are from other parts of the globe. Its main instruments for helping its developing members are low interest loans, grants, advice, and knowledge.