U.N. Top Official To Arrive In Myanmar On Sunday For Relief Efforts

New York, NY (AHN) - The top United Nations relief official will fly into Myanmar on Sunday to talk with authorities aiming to activate relief efforts for cyclone victims.

There has been some slow progress in getting relief supplies and humanitarian workers into the most affected areas across the Irrawaddy delta in the south of Myanmar, and the government has shown some signs of flexibility, but more is needed, according to U.N. aid officials.

John Holmes, under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, will visit to the country to talk directly with the authorities in an effort to accelerate the relief effort for victims of Cyclone Nargis which may have left more than 100,000 people dead and severely affected up to 2.5 million others.

Around 300,000 people are estimated to have received rudimentary aid through the UN and other aid agencies, representing about 20 per cent of people who have been affected.

An emergency team from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is also in the country, working together with the UN. At the same time, heavy rains continue to batter people who have been made homeless, complicating relief efforts, according to a U.N. statement.