UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday voiced frustration at the slow pace of relief efforts in the wake of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, calling for accelerated efforts to get more aid into the country.
"I want to register my deep concern -- and immense frustration -- at the unacceptably slow response to this grave humanitarian crisis," Ban told a press conference at the UN Headquarters in NewYork.
"Unless more aid gets into the country -- very quickly -- we face an outbreak of infectious diseases that could dwarf today's crisis," he said.
He called on the government of Myanmar to "do all that it can to prevent the disaster from becoming even more serious."
The UN and its agencies are well-positioned to help with everything from emergency food, fresh water and medical supplies to repairing critical national infrastructure -- transport, communications and community distribution networks, he said.
Despite the "many staff on the ground," the UN's relief efforts still remained "grievously over-stretched," he continued, saying that fewer than a third of the total number of people at risk, about 270,000 people, can be reached.
Ban also noted "some encouraging signs," including the arrivals of many airlifts and the government's "initial moves to ease access restrictions."
"I would repeat, however: much more is needed," he added.
International relief agencies estimate that around 1.5 million people are at severe risk following Cyclone Nargis, which struck Myanmar on May 2, while the official death toll reported by the government has reached almost 32,000, with over 34,000 others missing.
Source:Xinhua
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