As Many as 14,000 Dead in Myanmar

Nick Gillespie | May 6, 2008

Myanmar officials said on Tuesday the death toll could continue to climb higher than the 14,000 already feared dead from the Southeast Asian nation's devastating cyclone as the international community prepared to rush in aid.

In the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, state radio reported that the government was delaying a constitutional referendum in areas hit hardest.

Myanmar's Information Minister Maj. Gen. Kyaw Hsan confirmed at a news conference that some 4,000 people had died in Yangon and the low-lying Irrawaddy delta region. He added that another 10,000 people could be dead in the delta.

Kyaw said tidal waves killed most of the victims in that region.

More AP account here.

reason on Burma here.

Cathy Young on the last mega-storm in the region.

Comments

jmr|5.6.08 @ 8:31AM|#

As long as nobody considers any dangerous ideas like http://hexayurt.com/ I'm sure things will go back to normal, eventually.
JMR

adrian|5.6.08 @ 8:36AM|#

so was this because of past global warming or our change to global cooling?

|5.6.08 @ 9:07AM|#

adrian,

Just rest assured that it's somehow all America's fault.

|5.6.08 @ 9:24AM|#

Skyfull liars! Nothing to see here, move along.

|5.6.08 @ 9:31AM|#

No, sillies, the cyclone was caused by collectivism. Duh.

ed|5.6.08 @ 9:49AM|#

Why don't those people just move?

|5.6.08 @ 10:03AM|#

So you thought moving the capital inland was a white elephant project motivated by paranoia, a gross disconnect with the reality of poverty in Myannmar, and astrologists, eh? Well, I won't say I told you so.

[Unfortunately, short of inciting revolution, this whole tragedy will just bolster the powers-that-be.]

robc|5.6.08 @ 10:05AM|#

joe,

collectivism? Nah. I was busy with Oaks Day activities and forgot to turn off my cyclone machine. Oops, my bad.

|5.6.08 @ 10:06AM|#

Now! Get the jade, NOW!

What you waiting for, now's our chance!!!

|5.6.08 @ 10:30AM|#

Kyaw said tidal waves killed most of the victims in that region.

That sentence irks me. The term tidal wave, a misnomer for tsunami, had absolutely nothing to do with this event. What occured is called a storm surge. If a storm surge peaks in conjunction with a high tide it's worse, but it isn't a "tidal wave" by ant stretch of the language.

My sympathies to the people of Myanmar Burma, who's lives are phenomenally screwed even in the abscence of a natural disaster. Fortunately the corrupt ruling regime's principal enabler, the PRC, will jump at the chance to provide sufficient, even generous, aid to their vassal state.

|5.6.08 @ 10:54AM|#

Now they're saying 22,000.

Good Lord.

robc|5.6.08 @ 11:27AM|#

more than 41k missing too. 22k wont be the final number.

|5.6.08 @ 11:40AM|#

Kyaw said tidal waves killed most of the victims in that region.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that poverty killed most of the victims. Throw a similar storm surge at L.A. and see how many people die.

|5.6.08 @ 11:58AM|#

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that poverty killed most of the victims.

QFT.

ed|5.6.08 @ 1:29PM|#

Somewhere at 30,000 feet Al Gore rubs his hands in glee, and plans his next move.