(For related story see MYANMAR/CYCLONE or [ID:nSP228208]) May 6 (Reuters) - 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. Cyclone Nargis is the deadliest disaster in Asia since 3,500 people died when Cyclone Sidr hit Bangladesh six months ago. Here are some of the region's worst natural disasters since the Asian tsunami of 2004. * Dec. 26, 2004 - ASIA - At least 230,000 people are killed and 43,000 missing after tsunami sparked by magnitude 9.15 quake smashes into 13 Indian Ocean countries. More than half the victims are Indonesians; with Sri Lanka and India next worst hit. * March 28, 2005 - INDONESIA - Nearly 1,000 people are killed after a quake of magnitude 8.7 strikes the coast off Indonesian island of Sumatra. * July/Aug - INDIA - More than 1,000 people are killed -- mostly drowned and buried by landslides -- after the heaviest rainfall ever recorded falls on western state of Maharashtra on July 26. * Oct 8 - PAKISTAN - At least 73,320 people are killed by a 7.6 magnitude quake that strikes about 95 km (60 miles) northeast of Islamabad. The quake also rocks Indian Kashmir, killing 1,244 people. * Feb. 17, 2006 - PHILIPPINES - Mudslide triggered by heavy rain buries nearly 1,000 people in the Philippines. About 140 bodies are recovered; rescuers give up hope of finding survivors. * May 27 - INDONESIA - More than 5,700 people are killed when an earthquake centred just off the Indian Ocean coast hits the island of Java near Yogyakarta. * June-July, 2007 - INDIAN SUBCONTINENT - Monsoon storms kill around 1,750 people in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, and Pakistan. India is hardest hit with at least 750 people killed. * Nov 15 - BANGLADESH - Cyclone Sidr strikes Bangladesh, killing around 3,500 people. * May 3/4, 2008 - MYANMAR - About 15,000 people are killed when Cyclone Nargis rips through Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta. Source: Reuters (Writing by Gillian Murdoch, Singapore Editorial Reference Unit)
Farmers plant rice sprouts in a paddy field in Nakhon Sawan province, north of Bangkok May 4, 2008. Thailand plans to stick to its policy of not curbing rice exports, Commerce ...
Myanmar (formerly Burma)
