Geneva: Myanmar's military junta has indicated it is ready to receive international aid after a cyclone hit the country killing thousands, a UN humanitarian office spokeswoman told AFP.

They have "shown their disposition to receive international aid after the cyclone but the modes remain to be determined", said UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs.

"We are very busy, we are worried that there are some thousands of people left homeless," she added.

"We must not forget that the population living in the affected zones in the delta reaches 24 million people."

Five UN experts on catastrophes are ready to head to the location, Byrs told AFP.

The UN agency in charge of children UNICEF today deployed five fact-finding missions, while the World Food Programme has delivered 500 tonnes of food to Yangon and generators to Cambodia, added the spokeswoman.

The satellite Unosat, which generates images for the international community in the humanitarian aid efforts, has also been activated, said Byrs.

The UN is considering making an urgent appeal for Myanmar, she added.

More than 10,000 people have been killed in a tropical cyclone that struck Myanmar at the weekend, Foreign Minister Nyan Win told state television, adding that his nation would welcome international aid.

"According to the latest information, more than 10,000 people were killed," Nyan Win said, after briefing foreign diplomats.

"Information is still being collected, and there could be more casualties," he added.

Source : PTI