Sittwe:  Cyclonic storms from the Bay of Bengal frequently lashed the Arakanese coast near Bangladesh, but Arakan State was lucky to escape the fury of cyclone Nargis in Burma.

Some townships in southern Arakan State, however, did suffer minor damages in the storm. Those townships include Gwa, Thandwe, Taungup, Ann, and Rambree.

According to a local source, the most affected area in Arakan is Gwa Township located close to the Irrawaddy Division, with some buildings damaged and some trees uprooted by the cyclone.

However, there was no further information on the aftermath of cyclone Nargis in the area because communications have not yet been restored.

An official from Sittwe said the telephone lines in five townships in Arakan State are still down and it is currently impossible to connect to any telephones in the affected area.

Narinjara made several calls to the towns of Thandwe and Taungup yesterday, but was only able to get a busy tone.

Cyclone Nargis struck Burma on 3 May at estimated wind speeds of 120 miles per hour. Over 351 people have died so fa, with thousands of buildings damaged and thousands of people left homeless.