The New Nation - Internet Edition

BBC Online

A tropical cyclone has killed at least 351 people in Myanmar and damaged thousands of buildings, according to state television.

Parts of the Irrawaddy region were hit particularly badly, with three out of four buildings reportedly blown down in one district.

Myanmar has declared Irrawaddy and four other regions, including the main city Yangon, to be disaster areas. Yangon has been without power and water, its streets full of debris.

Winds of about 190km/h (120mph) battered the Irrawaddy, Rangoon, Bago, Karen and Mon regions. Military and police personnel have been carrying out rescue operations.

Cyclone Nargis has since moved towards Thailand where storm warnings have been issued. However, it appears to be lessening in force. In Irrawaddy's Labutta township, 75% of buildings collapsed and 20% had their roofs ripped off, state TV said.

In the Irrawaddy delta region as a whole, the cyclone brought down more than 20,000 houses.

In Yangon, internet and phone connections have been down since the storm drew near, making it difficult to confirm the extent of the damage.

Official media report that four people were killed and four vessels sank in the former Burmese capital's harbour. A UN regional official told Reuters news agency it would take several days to assess the scale of the damage. .