The cyclone and storm surge that tore through Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta killed at least 15,000 people and left 30,000 missing, officials said on Tuesday, warning the toll could rise in low-lying, remote villages. Foreign Minister Nyan Win said 10,000 people had died just in Bogalay, a town 90 km (50 miles) southwest of Yangon, as he went on state television to give the first detailed account of the worst cyclone to hit Asia since 1991, when 143,000 people died in Bangladesh. After a meeting with Myanmar's ambassador to Bangkok, Thai Foreign Minister Noppadol Pattama said he had been told 30,000 people were missing after Saturday's devastating storm, according to a report of Reuters. "The losses have been much greater than we anticipated, " he said after ambassador Ye Win declined to speak to reporters. The total left homeless by the 190 km (120 miles) per hour winds and 12 foot (3.5 meter) storm surge is in the several hundred thousands, United Nations aid officials say.
