U.N. Says 'Second Catastrophe' Faces Myanmar Without Allowing More Aid

Geneva, Switzerland (AHN) - Unless more access to Myanmar is granted to allow aid more quickly, a second catastrophe could result, a United Nations official said here on Tuesday.

Despite some progress, efforts to help the 1.5 million people impacted by Cyclone Nargis must be intensified, Elizabeth Byrs of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

Heavy rains have been forecast, further impeding aid efforts, Byrs noted. She called for an air and sea corridor to channel aid in large quantities as quickly as possible.

Some 12 days after the cyclone stuck Myanmar, the U.N. and its partners have reached 270,000 at-risk people, less than a third of those affected, a U.N. statement said.

The official death toll reported by the government has reached almost 32,000, with more than 34,000 others missing.