Bangkok: Aid agencies today rushed emergency food and water supplies to victims of a massive storm in Myanmar, which killed hundreds of people and left tens of thousands homeless, a Red Cross spokesman said.

Tropical cyclone Nargis left at least 351 dead after hitting southwest Myanmar at the weekend, packing winds of 190 kilometres per hour, razing thousands of buildings and knocking out power lines, state media reported.

Several coastal villages had been destroyed according to a preliminary assessment by the International Federation of the Red Cross, spokesman Michael Annear said.

The villages in the Ayeyawaddy (Irrawaddy) delta bore the brunt of the storm which came in from the Bay of Bengal and combined with a sea surge before hitting the main city Yangon.

State media said nearly 98,000 were homeless on the delta's Haing Gyi island alone. Annear said teams in Myanmar were distributing essential supplies and would be bringing in more from Malaysia as soon as possible.

"We are distributing supplies for those who need shelter, plastic sheeting to cover roofs, water purification tablets, we are currently procuring 5,000 litres of water, cooking items, bed nets, blankets and clothes for those in most need," he said.

"We went out as soon as possible but there were problems with mobility due to a lot of debris and power lines down. Authorities and the local community have been clearing the road networks so mobility has increased today.

"Assessment teams have been a lot better getting through to affected areas but it s going to take a number of days to get an overall picture of the overall disaster," he said, adding that Yangon's airport was expected to reopen today.

Source : PTI