POPE Francis today appealed for humanitarian organisations to be given access to areas hit by a deadly cyclone that tore through parts of Myanmar and Bangladesh two weeks ago.

“I appeal to those responsible to facilitate the access of humanitarian aid,” the pontiff said at the end of the Angelus prayer in the Vatican.

“And I appeal to the sense of human solidarity and ecclesial solidarity to come to the aid of these brothers and sisters of ours.”

Cyclone Mocha brought lashing rain and winds of 195kph to Myanmar and neighbouring Bangladesh on May 14, collapsing buildings and turning streets into rivers.

The United Nations on Wednesday called for Myanmar’s military rulers to open up and ensure life-saving aid can get to parts of the Southeast Asian that need it.

It says at least 800,000 people in Myanmar need emergency food aid and other assistance.

Myanmar’s junta has declared Rakhine state a natural disaster after the cyclone hit.

The western state is home to hundreds of thousands of the persecuted Rohingya minority, many of whom live in displacement camps following decades of ethnic conflict. – AFP, May 28, 2023.