In need of help: A boy walking past the destroyed roof of a monastery in Sittwe, in the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha’s landfall in Myanmar. — AFP
RELIEF organisations were awaiting clearance from Myanmar’s military rulers to access areas of Rakhine State devastated by a deadly cyclone three days ago, and deliver food and medicine to communities in urgent need.
Hundreds of people were estimated to have been killed in the impoverished region after cyclone Mocha on Sunday tore down houses, communication towers and bridges with winds of up to 210kph and triggered a storm surge that inundated the state capital Sittwe.
Residents contacted by Reuters said no help had arrived even days after the storm and volunteers were digging through debris to search for the missing.
One resident, who declined to be identified, said about 400 people had died and more were at risk of dying “for not having food, purified water and emergency treatment. There are no ... search and rescue teams.”
Rakhine State, with a population of over three million, is particularly vulnerable, and is home to the persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority that successive governments in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar have refused to recognise.
Some 600,000 Rohingya still live in the state, while over a million live in camps in neighbouring Bangladesh, having fled military crackdowns in recent years. Some still embark on perilous boat journeys to Malaysia and Indonesia.
United Nations agencies said on Wednesday that they were still awaiting green light from authorities to assess and distribute supplies in affected areas, some of which were inaccessible due to extensive damage.
“We have established communications channels with all authorities in Myanmar. We have asked for unrestricted access to affected communities,” said Pierre Peron, a spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The UN Development Programme, UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) and UN refugee agency UNHCR also said their requests were pending approval.
State media on Wednesday said junta leader Min Aung Hlaing had visited affected areas in Bagan, another region, and other junta officials separately met with a UNHCR representative to discuss relief efforts.
It said military vessels and helicopters had sent aid to Rakhine and 21 people, including security force personnel doing rescue work, had died due to the storm. A spokesperson for the junta could not be reached. — Reuters
