In Burma, the death toll from the weekend cyclone has topped more than 22,000. Up to 60,000 people are reported missing, while up to a million have been left homeless. Earlier today, the UN said the Burmese military junta had approved the first UN aid flight to help the victims. Rashid Khalikov of the UN disaster relief agency OCHA said hundreds of thousands are in need of aid.

Rashid Khalikov: “You also heard that the figures on the death toll now are more than 22,000. There is also figures used that more than 40,000 are still missing. I wanted to tell you that unfortunately we cannot tell you how many people are in need of assistance. We just clearly understand that it probably will be hundreds of thousands of people.”

The UN says an aircraft carrying twenty-five tons of aid will land in Burma later today. At the White House, President Bush urged the junta to accept aid from the United States.

President Bush: “So our message is to the military rulers, let the United States come and help you, help the people. Our hearts go out to the people of Burma. We want to help them deal with this terrible disaster, and at the same time, of course, we want them to live in a free society.”

Cyclone Nargis was the largest to hit Asia since 1991, when 143,000 people died in Bangladesh.