New Myanmar storm fear discounted

The 1.5 million people left destitute by Myanmar's devastating cyclone were increasingly desperate yesterday, as foreign aid trickled in and overstretched aid workers struggled to reach hard-hit areas.

Reports a tropical depression was swirling southwest of Yangon and that it could develop into a major storm sparked concerns that a new tragedy could follow the early May cyclone that left up to 100,000 people dead or missing in the Irrawaddy delta.

"It's terrible. This is always another worry when you have a major disaster, that you have further hazards affecting people," Amanda Pitt, spokeswoman for the UN's humanitarian affairs office, told a news conference in Bangkok.