Torrential downpours on Friday added to the misery for the estimated 2.5 million people affected by Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar. The rains threatened to further delay relief operations, which the military government insisted are running smoothly.

State media in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, increased the death toll to 77,738 and the number missing to almost 56,000 on Friday.

A cyclone that smashed into Myanmar flattened villages, knocked out electricity and immersed low-lying regions. An aid worker describes the damage to the country and residents' most pressing needs in this audio slide show.

Protests -- touched off by Buddhist monks -- in Myanmar in the fall of 2007 drew renewed international interest in the country's military regime and the rights of its citizens. View a video collection of NewsHour reports about the events.

Track the pathway and impacts of Cyclone Nargis as it careened into Myanmar and took its deadly toll on the residents of the Southeast Asian nation in this Google map.
You can view more map resources on ReliefWeb.