Korea to Offer Emergency Aid to Cyclone-Hit Myanmar
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
No South Korean casualties have been reported in a large tropical cyclone that hit Myanmar
Saturday, an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Tuesday.
The Myanmar authorities said more than 10,000 people may have died when Cyclone Nargis struck the town of Yangon over the weekend, confirming fears of a spiraling death toll from the powerful storm that swept away bamboo homes in low-lying coastal regions.
``We had difficulty assessing damages of South Koreans in Myanmar due to the cutoff of communication systems, but until now no casualties have been reported,'' the official said.
There are about 850 South Korean residents in Myanmar and some other travelers from the country staying there, he said.
The Seoul government plans to provide humanitarian support to the Southeast Asian nation, he added.
U.N. and private aid agencies say they are rushing to prepare assistance for victims of the devastating cyclone in Myanmar, according to reports.
The death toll from the cyclone has risen to almost 4,000, a Myanmar state radio
station said Monday. Nearly 3,000 were unaccounted for in a single
town.