YANGON, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations John Holmes arrived here Sunday evening to look into the relief status of Myanmar in the aftermath of a cyclone storm that hit part of the country early this month.

    The visit of Holmes came a day after resident representatives of UN agencies, along with those of ASEAN Secretariat and foreign diplomats, were taken by the Myanmar authorities to some disaster-hit areas in the country Saturday by helicopters to observe the status of the areas after disaster,

    The diplomatic mission, organized by the Myanmar government, traveled to relief camps in Dedaye, Kungyangon, Pyapon, Bogalay Maubin, Mawlamyinegyun and Laputta scatterd in Yangon and Ayeyawaddy divisions.

    It was the first time that the government made such move to allow foreigners to inspect the cyclone-torn regions, a fortnight after the disaster.

    Allowed by the Myanmar government for the first time also, three foreign medics respectively from neighboring Thailand, India and China arrived Yangon on Saturday and Sunday to render direct emergency medical aid to the country's cyclone victims.

    Since last week, international humanitarian aid has been pouring in Myanmar with aircraft carrying various relief materials from different countries and organizations landing at the airport one after another for Myanmar's homeless cyclone survivors.

    Up to now, 21 countries or region have brought in the aid supplies including Thailand, China, the U.S., Singapore, India, Russia, Italy, Bangladesh, Japan, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Ukraine, Greece, Pakistan, South Korea, Sweden and Australia as well as China's Yunnan provincial government and China's Taiwan.

    International organizations, which provided Myanmar similar relief goods, comprise World Food Program (WFP), World Health Organization (WHO), International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC), UN High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR), Chinese Red Crossand Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

    Deadly tropical cyclone Nargis, which occurred over the Bay of Bengal, hit five divisions and states -- Ayeyawaddy, Yangon, Bago, Mon and Kayin -- on May 2 and 3, of which Ayeyawaddy and Yangon inflicted the heaviest casualties and infrastructural damage.

    Hard-hit coastal towns in the southwestern Ayeyawaddy division include Haing Gyi Island, Laputta, Mawlamyinegyun, Bogalay, Phyarpon, Kyaiklat, Ngaputaw, and Dedaye, while worst-hit areas inYangon division comprised Kungyangon, Thanlyin, Kyauktan, Twantay,Kawmu as well as the Yangon city.

    According to a latest official death toll released on Friday evening, as many as 77,738 people have been killed in the disaster with altogether 55,917 still missing and 19,359 injured.