Kean Wong:
The United Nations is now saying up to 2.5 million people may have been affected by Cyclone Nargis. That's up from a previous estimate of at least 1.5 million. They've proposed a high-level donors conference as Burma's regime continues to slow the arrival of foreign aid.

The European Union's top aid official says the military government's restrictions on foreign aid workers and equipment are increasing the risk of starvation and disease.
Burma was renamed Myanmar by the ruling military junta.

U.N. humanitarian affairs chief John Holmes told reporters between 1.6 and 2.5 million people are "severely affected" by Cyclone Nargis and urgently need aid.

The International Federation of Red Cross held a news conference in Bangkok on Thursday to update journalists on the deteriorating conditions in Burma.

[Joe Lowry, Red Cross Official]:
"Young volunteers are working almost around the clock at the headquarters in Yangon. They are loading and unloading trucks of international aid and locally donated aid and that is going out very quickly to the affected areas. We've not heard any reports back from Myanmar Red Cross that they have hampered their distributions."

The Red Cross also estimated on the basis of reports from 22 organizations working in Burma that between 68,000 and 130,000 people had died.

[Joe Lowry, Red Cross Official]:
"The most pressing need is shelter. Once people are in some sort of safe shelter, where they can be based, where they can camp, where they can receive health services, that is the most important thing. And with the weather worsening, the water can be your best friend and worst enemy, and this stage it looks like it is the worst enemy."

Burma's leaders have insisted that teams of foreign relief experts are not needed.