ActionAid’s local partner organisations have begun delivering food and other items to survivors of cyclone Nargis in the flood-devastated Irrawaddy delta, as their assessment teams reveal the true scale of the death and destruction.

Entire villages have been washed away, with no survivors. An ActionAid partner organisation says that up to 60 villages in the region have completely disappeared.

And a survey of just 24 of the 54 villages around the coastal town of Laputta found that out of a population of 15,000, almost 4000 were dead. 10,000 survivors were homeless or living in temporary huts.

Trees which used to provide shade were felled by the 120mph winds leaving people stranded in stifling heat.

An estimated 100,000 people are living in 26 temporary relief camps with no food, sanitation or shelter.

Roger Yates, head of emergencies at ActionAid, said the assessment showed a "simply awful" situation.

"People are completely distraught. They have lost so many people, they have lost all their buildings and properties and all their landmarks, so they are disorientated and distressed. They are desperately searching for the basics to stay alive, food and shelter.”

ActionAid is currently delivering emergency relief with its partners to 40 villages in the affected areas and has so far been purchasing food and non-food related items from local markets.

But the agency warns that aid workers are finding it difficult to reach survivors and move supplies.

Many roads are damaged or under water, and bridges have collapsed. Many boats were destroyed in the storm and flood, and public inland water transport services have stopped operating.