State media say 10000 dead in Myanmar; higher toll expected

ANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar officials feared on Tuesday the death toll would climb far higher than the reported 10,000 dead from the Southeast Asian nation's devastating cyclone as the international community prepared to rush in aid.

In the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, state radio reported that the government was delaying a constitutional referendum in areas hit hardest.

Myanmar's Foreign Minister Nyan Win was quoted by state-run television as saying that more than 10,000 people had perished in the low-lying Irrawaddy delta region while a smaller number died in and around Yangon, the country's largest city.

"News and data are still being collected, so there may be many more casualties," he said.