Asean senior officials reiterated the grouping's readiness to provide further assistance including sending medical and rescue teams to cyclone-hit Myanmar, Bernama reported. They look forward to having these personnel on the ground as soon as possible to augment the Myanmar government's relief efforts in helping thousands of grief-stricken victims of cyclone Nargis that lashed the military-ruled nation last weekend. Singapore, the current Asean Chair, said the current situation in Myanmar was discussed during informal consultations among senior officials of the East Asia Summit. The officials expressed sadness and sympathy over the massive loss of lives caused by the cyclone and noted that tens of thousands of Myanmar people were still missing, it said in a statement Thursday. They noted that many countries had offered humanitarian aid packages to Myanmar following the disaster which had claimed the lives of more than 22,000 people but officials said the death toll could top 100,000.
