More than 60,000 people may have died as a result of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, and at least 1.5 million are homeless or otherwise in desperate need of assistance. The Burmese military junta, one of the most morally repulsive in the world, has allowed in only a trickle of aid supplies. The handful of United States Air Force C-130 flights from Utapao Air Base here in Thailand is little more than symbolic, given the extent of the need.

China today rushed more troops and air-dropped relief supplies in areas cut off near the epicentre of the devastating earthquake in southwest Sichuan province as the toll mounted to nearly 20,000 with thousands of people still buried, trapped or missing. As troops reached the quake-battered areas, the state media reported that the death toll in Mianyang city alone rose from 3,629 to 5,540 with 18,486 more buried and 1,396 missing. In Yingxiu of Wenchuan County, only 2,300 persons were believed to have survived out of 10,000 residents, official Xinhua news agency said.

Operations at the Three Gorges Dam, China's water conservancy project on the Yangtze River, was not affected despite Monday's quake. In the dam area, about 1,000 km from the epicentre, the quake measured about 4. The dam was designed to withstand quakes up to 7 on the Richter Scale, said a spokesman with China Three Gorges Project Corporation.

Rescuers are racing against time in the search for survivors on Tuesday, a day after a quake struck China's south-western province of Sichuan. The death toll has surpassed 12,000. Premier Wen Jiabao, who flew to Sichuan on Monday, urged the public to have "composure, confidence and courage' in the face of the catastrophe. Mr. Wen is heading a temporary disaster relief headquarters.

Yangon: The United Nations said on Tuesday that only a tiny portion of international aid needed for Myanmar's cyclone victims is making it into the country, amid reports that the military regime is hoarding good-quality foreign aid for itself and doling out rotten food. The country's isolated military regime has agreed to accept relief shipments from the UN and foreign countries, but has largely refused entry to aidworkers who might distribute the aid.

Official Figure Of Dead Stands At 12,000 Saibal Dasgupta & Agencies Beijing: The full scale of Monday's earthquake began to emerge even as rescuers managed to get to the epicentre of the quake and other uncovered areas in southwest Sichuan province. Official sources confirmed 12,000 deaths and said that 29,000 more people were buried in the debris of fallen buildings.

The U.N. on Tuesday said only a tiny portion of international relief is reaching Myanmar's cyclone victims, amid fears that the military regime is hoarding high-quality foreign aid for itself while people make do with rotten food.

The day after Monday's earthquake saw the spotlight in China turning on relief and rescue operations, even as the extent of the damage wrought by the 7.9 magnitude quake gradually became clearer. More than 12,000 persons were estimated to be dead in Sichuan Province alone and thousands missing or buried.

The cyclone in Myanmar will hit the import of pulses and consequently push up prices, which are already ruling high. Shipments will be delayed, official sources told The Hindu. Nearly 10 lakh tonnes of pulses are scheduled to be imported this year. These include over three lakh tonnes each of tur, urad and moong dal. Delivery of shipments of about 30,000 quintals each was slated to have been completed at Indian ports by October.

YANGON, Myanmar: Aid continued to arrive in Myanmar on Tuesday - a darkly clouded and rainy day here and in the south - but international aid experts and diplomats in the capital expressed concern that the government was not up to the task of delivering the aid effectively.