At least 27 dead in Myanmar cyclone, 15 missing

Oct 26, 2010, 5:31 GMT

Yangon - Cyclone Giri killed at least 27 people when it slammed into Myanmar's western coast last week, state-run media confirmed Tuesday.

The cyclone, which hit Myanmar's Rakhine State packing 160-kilometre-per-hour winds on October 22, killed 22 people in Myebon township and another five in Minbya, The New Light of Myanmar reported. Fifteen other people were listed as missing in Myebon.

The storm, which caused tidal waves of 7 to 8 metres in the coastal region, also damaged two bridges, more than 2,000 houses, eight monasteries, 13 schools and 80 ships in the area.

The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology had issued warnings to people living in the area in advance, the government mouthpiece claimed.

'I think the early warning system worked pretty well,' International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies spokesman Patrick Fuller told the German Press Agency dpa.

Myanmar's military-controlled press only started to report on the damage wrought by the cyclone late Monday, perhaps wary of printing any bad news that might reflect poorly on the ruling military regime in the run-up to the first election in 20 years, scheduled for November 7.

In 2008, Cyclone Nargis smashed into Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta, unleashing a tsunami that devastated crops, boats and housing and claimed at least 130,000 lives.

State media initially downplayed the impact of that storm, which coincided with preparations for a planned referendum by the ruling junta to win approval for its new constitution.

Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962.

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