45 dead in last month`s Myanmar cyclone: UN

Geneva: UN officials say the number of dead
from last month`s cyclone in Myanmar has climbed to 45, with
10 people still missing and 49 injured.

Elisabeth Byrs, the UN aid coordination office
spokeswoman, told reporters in Geneva today that 81,000 people
have been left homeless in the disaster.
The government is requesting tarpaulins not tents due
to the heat.

Cyclone Giri struck Myanmar`s western coast, lashing
areas where families live mostly in bamboo huts.

UNICEF spokeswoman Marixie Mercado says 40,000 acres
of rice paddies were wiped out just a month before harvest,
and many people are still without fresh water.
The government, UN agencies and aid agencies are
responding with food and other aid.

PTI