Cyclone claims over 240 lives in Myanmar

Yangon, May 4: Over 240 people were killed after the cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar this Saturday, according to Information Ministry sources.

Packing winds of 190 km (120 miles) per hour when it hit on Saturday morning, Cyclone Nargis devastated the former Burma's leafy main city, littering the streets with overturned cars, fallen trees and debris from battered buildings. According to media reports, 19 people were killed in Yangon division, while 222 people were killed in Ayeyawaddy division. Nargis made landfall around the mouth of the Ayeyawaddy River, around 220 kilometres southwest of Yangon. Five central and southern regions and states - Yangon, Ayeyawaddy, Bago, Mon and Karen - have been declared disaster areas, said an official, adding that police and army have been pressed in across the worst hits areas.

ANI