After cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar on Saturday 3 May, causing havoc everywhere, aid agencies and other help groups have asked the military government to permit free movement in the region so that the victims can be assisted. As per the official figures, death toll in Myanmar reached 351 after the powerful tropical cyclone Nargis hit the region on Saturday. Aid groups say that the toll could climb up ever further. The United Nations has said that the Myanmar government has not replied to its offer to help after cyclone Nargis damaged properties everywhere and rendered thousands homeless.

 

UN officials added that it will take some time before it is properly known how much of damage has been caused by the cyclone due to the government's tight control of communications. The Myanmar government has already announced Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar, as a disaster zone. Terje Skavdal, the regional head of UNOCHA, has informed that many villages have got damaged but help groups will take time to reach as the roads are inaccessible. The movement of foreign aid workers, on the other hand, is controlled by the military.  Terje Skavdal confirmed this report, but said that the UNOCHA will ask the government to allow easy access to the cyclone victims.