Rain deepens Myanmar misery; casualty tolls jump
Fri May 16, 2008 12:34pm EDT
YANGON (Reuters) – Torrential tropical downpours lashed Myanmar’s cyclone-hit Irrawaddy delta on Friday as thousands of destitute victims took to roadsides to beg for help to supplement the meager trickle of aid flowing in.
The official death toll has jumped sharply, to 77,738 from a previous figure of 43,328 according to a Myanmar state television report late on Friday.
Independent experts have said the actual number is probably far higher, with British officials saying the total dead and missing could be more than 200,000.