As the death toll climbed toward 10,000, relief agency representatives met in Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city, as well as at the regional coordination centre in Bangkok, Thailand, to assess the damage and prepare supplies.

Hundreds of thousands other victims of the natural disaster have been left without shelter and drinking water after the cyclone tore through the Irrawaddy delta over the weekend.

The International Federation of the Red Cross said teams were trying to assess the damage and aid requirements in the five declared disaster zones where 24 million people live.

'We are issuing water purification tablets, clothing, plastic sheeting, cooking utensils and hygiene items,' said Mr Michael Annear, head of the Red Cross South-east Asia disaster management unit.

In Geneva, Care International's operations manager Carsten Voelz said the office has 'received a long list of things that are needed, including shelter material, food, water purification stuff, tarpaulins and things like that'.

He added: 'Given the scale of what has happened we would certainly have to beef up our personnel in the country.'

The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) said it is working with other agencies and the Myanmar Red Cross Society to see how it can help those affected.

'We have five teams assessing the situation on the ground at the moment,' said Unicef spokeswoman Veronique Taveau.

'The situation seems to be quite difficult,' she added.

Ms Elisabeth Byrs, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said the Myanmar Red Cross Society is deploying five assessment teams.

The World Food Programme has pre-positioned 500 tonnes of food in Yangon and plans to bring in more relief supplies, Ms Byrs said.

Aid offers also started coming in from other countries, with the United States saying yesterday that it is providing an initial sum of US$250,000 (S$340,000) in aid through its embassy in Yangon and is looking at what more it can do to help.

'The embassy (in Yangon) did issue a disaster declaration authorising an immediate release of US$250,000 in support for the (Myanmar) government,' State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey told reporters.

He said a US disaster assistance response team was 'standing by and ready to go into Burma (Myanmar) to help try and assess needs there', but had apparently not received permission from the ruling junta.

Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo wrote to his Myanmar counterpart U Nyan Win yesterday to convey his sympathies and Singapore's offer of humanitarian assistance.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement released yesterday, said it is 'closely monitoring the situation' in Myanmar and has had 'no reports thus far of any injuries to any Singaporean'.

Meanwhile, India said two naval ships from Port Blair with relief and medical supplies will sail immediately to Yangon carrying food items, tents, blankets, clothing and medicines.

And Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan called on all member states to offer 'urgent relief assistance' to Myanmar.

ASSOCIATED PRESS, REUTERS, BLOOMBERG, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE