The India Express
Myanmar puts toll at 78,000 dead, 56,000 missing

Associated Press
Posted online: Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 2348 hrs IST
YANGON, MAY 16
The official death toll from Myanmar’s devastating May 2-3 cyclone has jumped to nearly 78,000, state television reported on Friday, marking an increase of about 35,000 over just a day earlier.
The number of missing doubled to 55,917, after being reported as 27,838 for most of the past week. The report also updated the number of injured to nearly 20,000.
The new cyclone death toll of 77,738 is substantially higher than that suffered by all but one country from the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Indonesia suffered more than 130,000 dead and 37,000 missing from that disaster.
The UN, meanwhile, said that severe restrictions by the junta have left aid agencies largely in the dark.
The Red Cross said on Thursday that said it believed the total cyclone death toll may be as high as 127,990. The UN has said more than 100,000 may have died.