The official death toll for Burma's cyclone disaster has jumped to almost 78,000 people, with nearly 56,000 missing, according to state TV.

Previously, Burma was giving a toll of 43,000 dead and 28,000 missing while the Red Cross and United Nations had estimated a death toll above 100,000.

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Cyclone Nargis battered southern regions of Burma, including the Irrawaddy Delta, on 2-3 May.

A BBC reporter in the delta this week saw little sign of official help and foreign aid workers have been barred from the area.

Heavy rain has been lashing the region, compounding the misery of survivors.

The EU's top aid official, Louis Michel, has been denied permission to visit the delta and says he was given no explanation why disaster emergency experts were being refused visas.

However, Burma - also known as Myanmar - has promised to take foreign diplomats on a tour of the region this weekend.

(BBC)

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