Burma death toll 'could rise to 10,000'

The death toll from the cyclone that ripped through Burma could reach 10,000, the foreign minister said today.

Foreign diplomats in Yangon said Foreign Minister Nyan Win acknowledged the possibility of the high casualty figure at a briefing given to them and representatives of United Nations. and international aid agencies today.

State radio earlier reported that the official death toll from Saturday’s Cyclone Nargis had risen to 3,939 from an original count of 351.

The diplomats said the foreign minister acknowledged 59 deaths in the country’s largest city of Yangon.