Swiss prepare aid for Myanmar
Switzerland is sending aid and experts to Myanmar where a powerful cyclone has killed at least 22,000 people.
The foreign ministry said it would make an initial donation of SFr500,000 ($476,170). The Swiss Red Cross has pledged SFr200,000.
A public fundraising campaign has also been launched to help the victims in southeast Asia.
Four aid officials will travel to the disaster area as soon as the military authorities grant entrance visas, said Toni Frisch, head of the foreign ministry's Humanitarian Aid Unit.
Three additional staff are being dispatched to Thailand to work alongside United Nations organisations and non-governmental groups.
The Swiss aid, which will focus on providing care, drinking water and shelter, is part of international efforts to bring relief to cyclone victims in Myanmar.
Saturday's cyclone hit mainly the low-lying Irrawaddy Delta.
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