Myanmar soldiers unload boxes of supplies from a Thai transport plane at Yangon airport in Myanmar yesterday. - AP

YANGON, Myanmar (AP)

Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta, where nearly 22,000 people perished, remained largely cut off from the rest of the world yesterday, four days after a cyclone unleashed winds, floods and high tidal waves on the densely populated region.

Concerns mounted over the lack of food, water and shelter in the delta as well as diseases spawned by Cyclone Nargis in a country with one of the world's poorest health systems.

"Our biggest fear is that the aftermath could be more lethal than the storm itself," said Caryl Stern, who heads the United Nations Children's Fund in the United States.

Aid pledged

The international community pledged aid and was poised to deliver assistance to a military-ruled country, which normally seeks to shut out foreign officials and restricts their access inside the country.

Reflecting the seriousness of the crisis, the government this time has appealed for foreign aid and also announced Tuesday that it was delaying Saturday's crucial constitutional referendum in the hardest hit areas.