Survivors of Burma's devastating cyclone recount the tragedy amid stench of death

Thousands of shell-shocked survivors of the Burma cyclone emerged yesterday, desperate for food and water after trekking for days through flood waters littered with the bodies of the dead.

An AFP reporter who reached the remote southern delta hardest hit by the storm, which left more than 60,000 dead or missing, said there was virtually no food or fresh water in this ruined town blanketed by the stench of death.

The grim accounts of survivors came as the United Nations said the country's reclusive military rulers, under pressure to let in foreign aid workers, had approved an emergency flight five days after the tragedy.

Homeless and starving

"They have lost their families, they have nowhere to stay and they have nothing to eat," one witness said in the town of Labutta after Cyclone Nargis washed away entire villages in one of the world's poorest nations.

Another said: "We can't sleep at night, because we can hear people shouting at night. Maybe these are the ghosts of the villagers."

Those who had the strength to do so spent days picking through murky water strewn with the festering and bloated dead, desperate for shelter, food, water and medical care after one of the world's worst natural disasters.

Witnesses said Saturday's storm, packing winds of 190 kilometres per hour, had left the region submerged under six-metre waters higher than the tree-tops, and countless corpses rotting in the tropical heat.

After days of criticism aimed at the secretive generals who have ruled Burma for nearly half a century - and who have hesitated to let in foreign relief workers - the United Nations said experts were on the way.

The news was a welcome development for international aid agencies who had bitterly complained that time was running out for the millions facing the risk of disease and starvation.

Pledges of cash, supplies and assistance have been pouring in from around the world but the junta - wary of any foreign influence that could weaken their tenacious control - have kept foreigners away.

Residents told AFP that the regime had not yet set up emergency shelters here. "We need emergency rescuers," said a local doctor, who warned many here were suffering from diarrhoea because of the miserable sanitary conditions. "Assistance hasn't reached them yet and they are dying," said Andrew Kirkwood of Save the Children.

XTRA

The Aftermath

>> United Nations experts are on their way to help in rehabilitation efforts.

>> Foreign aid is starting to pour in as the wary junta relented under pressure

>> At least 60,000 are dead or missing after Cyclone Nargis wreaked havoc on Burma.