Myanmar's national flag flies at half mast on the building of the Internal Revenue Department in Yangon, May 20, 2008. Myanmar started on Tuesday a three-day national mourning for 77,7388 people dead in cyclone. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    YANGON, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar started on Tuesday a three-day nationwide mourning for thousands of cyclone victims with the country's national flags flown at half mast.

    In the biggest city of Yangon, the mourning took place amid heavy rain with government building, banks, schools, hotels and restaurants, and residential quarters flying the national flags at half-mast.

    A 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 May 3, of which Ayeyawaddy and Yangon inflicted the heaviest casualties and massive infrastructural damage including religious buildings, schools, hospitals, vessels, animals, crops cultivation, forest and ration.

    According to an updated official death toll, as many as 77,738 people have been killed with 55,917 still missing. The number of the injured went to 19,359.

Myanmar agrees to accept ASEAN-led cyclone relief efforts

    SINGAPORE, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar agreed at a special meeting here Monday to let the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) coordinate foreign assistance for Cyclone Nargis victims, Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo announced. Full story

WHA opens with mourning for China, Myanmar disaster victims

   GENEVA, May 19 (Xinhua) -- The 61st World Health Assembly (WHA) opened here on Monday with one-minute mourning for disaster victims in China and Myanmar. Full story

High-ranking foreign officials look into Myanmar cyclone relief works

    YANGON, May 19 (Xinhua) -- British Foreign Office Minister Lord Malloch Brown and Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Hitoshi Kimura are currently in Yangon to look into the status of Myanmar's relief and resettlement works in the aftermath of the cyclone disaster, the state-run newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported Monday. Full story

UN chief to visit cyclone-hit Myanmar to accelerate relief efforts

  UNITED NATIONS, May 18 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will travel to Myanmar this week to accelerate relief efforts in the wake of the devastation wreaked by Cyclone Nargis, which hit the country on May 2.Full story

ASEAN FMs meet in Singapore on aid to Myanmar

   SINGAPORE, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers of Southeast Asian nations are meeting here Monday to discuss help for cyclone-hit Myanmar. Full story

UN humanitarian official visits Myanmar after disaster

  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. Full story

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