The death toll from a ferocious cyclone which tore through Fiji over the weekend has risen to 18 as the authorities began to send aid to hard-hit outer islands.

Overcrowded boats carrying more than 100 people trying to escape an approaching cyclone have capsized off the coast of Burma with dozens feared drowned.

Bangladesh asked for foreign aid today to help thousands of survivors of Cyclone Sidr, as the death toll rose to more than 3,100 people.