Residents Say 22 Villages Destroyed in Laputta Township

While the Burmese government has announced that the death toll from Cyclone Nargis currently stands at 22,500, survivors who have managed to get out of Laputta Township in the Irrawaddy Delta told The Irrawaddy that 22 villages are totally destroyed and the death toll could be much higher.

A source in Laputta Township estimated a total of 60,000 people could have been killed by the cyclone. The estimate could not be independently confirmed.

A Burmese girl makes her way past a bus station destroyed by the cyclone. (Photo: AP)

Located at the southwestern point of the delta, Laputta Township was one of the first coastal areas to be hit by the cyclone. About 200,000 people live in Laputta Township.

He said, “I think 95 percent of Laputta Township was destroyed. I can confirm that 22 villages were totally destroyed. Corpses can be seen everywhere.

“Survivors cannot find food or water. They might die too.”

Sources said diarrhea has now affected a great number of people in the Irrawaddy Delta due to water contaminated by corpses and dead fish.

Another local resident said, “Many of my friends and colleagues were killed. Locations near the sea were totally flooded. The water level went up by three meters (10 feet). All the wells have been flooded, so there is no water to drink. Some died after they were bitten by snakes that were washed up in the floods.”

Many survivors are now seeking shelter in local monasteries, those more fortunate are sharing whatever food they have.  
 
The source said that no aid from either the Burmese government or non-governmental organizations has reached Laputta Township to date. 

The cyclone hit Laputta Township on May 2 at about 2 p.m., he said, and continued throughout the day.   

The Burmese regime has estimated the death toll in Bogalay Township alone is 10,000 with 30,000 people still missing and 20,000 houses destroyed. Bogalay lies some 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Laputta. Official Burmese media has said that 92,706 people have been left homeless on Haing Kyi Island off the Irrawaddy delta coast. 

Meanwhile, a resident of Pyapon in Irrawaddy Division told The Irrawaddy by telephone: “As far as I know, almost all the rooftops in Pyapon were blown away. My neighbors said that the roof of my house was also blown off.”

Sources said Tamwe, Hlaing, Tharyar and Hlegu have received no refief assistance from the authorities to date. The residents said they cleaned up roads, fallen trees and damaged homes themselves.

Meanwhile, prices for commodities are skyrocketing as consumers try to buy food. Most commodities can not be found.

Sources in Rangoon said that the price of rice, gasoline, cooking oil, eggs and vegetables have doubled or tripled.

The price of one viss (1.6 kilograms) of rice is now 2,000 kyat (US $1.77) from 1,200 kyat last week; one gallon of gasoline is now 7,000 kyat ($6.19), up from 3,000 kyat; while a viss of cooking oil has risen from between 3,000 to 4,000 kyat to 6,000 kyat ($5.31).

The price of everyday products such as eggs, cabbages and pork has almost doubled since the weekend. Candles—now more necessary than ever with the city’s shaky electrical grid now ground to a standstill—have doubled in price. Bus fares have increased fivefold.

The state-run media has yet to report the rising prices and the extent of damage and death from the Cyclone Nargis disaster.

* Additional reporting by Kyi Wai in Rangoon.