Oxfam warns 1.5 million at risk in Myanmar

The Associated Press ,  Yangon   |  Sun, 05/11/2008 9:11 PM  |  Headlines

A Red Cross boat carrying relief supplies for survivors of Myanmar's cyclone sank Sunday, as aid groups warned that up to 1.5 million face death if they do not get clean water and
sanitation soon. The government announced the confirmed death toll had jumped to nearly 29,000.

Heavy showers were forecast for the coming week, further complicating delivery of aid that is still barely reaching victims in the Irrawaddy delta, ravaged by the May 3 cyclone.

The double-decker boat that sank after apparently hitting a submerged tree trunk was carrying supplies for more than 1,000 people and was the first Red Cross shipment to the disaster area,
the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said.

It said all four relief workers on board were safe.

"This is a great loss for the Myanmar Red Cross and for the people who need aid so urgently," said Aung Kyaw Htut, the distribution team leader for the Myanmar Red Cross.

The boat was traveling from Yangon to Mawlamyinegyun, a 12-hour journey, when it sank near Bogalay town, which was extensively damaged by the cyclone, the IFRC said.

IFRC's head in Yangon, Michael Annear, described the sinking as "a big blow."

"Apart from the delay in getting aid to people we may now have to re-evaluate how we transport that aid," he said.

Myanmar's state television said Sunday the death toll has gone up by about 5,000 to 28,458, and reduced the number of missing to 33,416.

International aid groups, however, say the death toll could eventually top 100,000 as humanitarian conditions worsen.

British aid group Oxfam said Sunday that the death toll could multiply by up to 15 times, or rise to 1.5 million, if people do not get clean water and sanitation soon, which could result in a medical catastrophe.

"It's really crucial that people get access to clean water sources and sanitation to avoid unnecessary deaths and suffering," Oxfam regional chief Sarah Ireland told reporters in Bangkok, Thailand.

The military government has refused to let in most foreign experts who have experience in handling humanitarian disasters. It insists it is capable of distributing the aid being pledged by international donors. Meanwhile, aid is piling up in foreign countries, awaiting approval from the junta.

The country's main airport in Yangon is also incapable of handling more than five flights a day, when it should be taking in at least one every hour, said PLAN, a London-based children's aid
group. (***)

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