Cyclone Devastates Burma

The death toll from the cyclone that ripped through southern Burma (Myanmar) this weekend has reached nearly 4,000, according to Seth Mydans of the New York Times. But CNN reports the number of deaths could reach 10,000.

The United Nations, the Red Cross, and nearby nations are rushing aid into Burma. However, access to many areas is difficult because of downed trees, power lines and other debris blocking roads. Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that hundreds of Buddhist monks joined in the efforts to clear roads.

AFP reports also that Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is safe, according to a Myanmar government official. Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition to the military junta in control of Burma, lives under house arrest in Yangon.

Reuters reports that soldiers and police shot and killed 36 prisoners in Yangon's notorious Insein prison. The prisoners had been fleeing a fire that started after the cyclone had struck, according to the Democratic Voice of Burma.

As yet I have not heard how much damage there might be to Burma's monasteries or to the many Buddhist shrines, such as Yangon's Shwedagon Pagoda, pictured above.

Photo Credit: © Aaron Otani | Dreamstime.com