US diplomat says 100,000 may have died in cyclone

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The top US diplomat in Myanmar says 100,000 may have died in the cyclone and that 95 percent of buildings in the affected area are demolished. Shari Villarosa heads the U.S. Embassy the capital Yangon. She says food and water are running short in the Myanmar delta area inundated by the storm. She called the situation in that area increasingly horrendous. Villarosa told reporters there is a very real risk of disease outbreaks as long as crisis continues. She says she does not think the military rulers in Myanmar are blocking US assistance because of the Bush administration's administration's past strong criticism of the junta.