Burma needs €630m in aid to help cyclone survivors claims UN

BURMA needs at least €630 million ($1 billion) over the next three years to put the survivors of Cyclone Nargis back on their feet, a UN-led report said yesterday in the first comprehensive assessment of damage caused by the disaster that killed more than 84,000 people.

The May 3-4 cyclone caused damage estimated at $4bn, said the report prepared by the United Nations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the military junta that governs Burma. Damage to assets was determined to be about $1.7bn and loss of income was estimated at $2.3bn.

The cyclone devastated large swathes of the Irrawaddy delta and the Yangon region, killing at least 84,537 people and leaving 53,836 missing and presumed dead.