Danish Red Cross Spokesman: Three Aid Flights Loaded With Shelter Kits And Other Supplies Landed Friday

Three aid flights loaded with shelter kits and other
supplies landed in Myanmar without incident. “We are not experiencing any
problems getting in, (unlike) the United Nations”, said Danish Red Cross
spokesman Hans Beck Gregersen.
    More than 60,000 people are dead or missing and entire
villages are submerged in the Irrawaddy delta. International aid organizations
say the death toll could climb to more than 100,000.
    The U.N. estimates 1.5 million people have been severely
affected and has voiced concern about the disposal of dead bodies.
    “Many are not buried and lie in the water. They have
started rotting and the stench is beyond words”, Anders Ladekarl, head of
the Danish Red Cross.
    About 20,000 body bags were being sent so volunteers from
the Myanmar chapter of the Red Cross can start collecting bodies, he said.
    The U.N.’s World Meteorological Organization said its models
forecast three days of strong rain that could dump 4 inches in Myanmar
beginning May 15-16. Heavy rain could worsen the situation in the
storm-affected coastal region, the agency said, although it cautioned that
forecasts beyond five days could change.
    The lack of food and water have led to dramatic price
increases. In Yangon, Myanmar’s main city, the cost of water has shot up by
more than 500 percent, and rice and oil by 60 percent in the last three days,
the Danish Red Cross said.