A/HRC/8/12 page 12 46. At the time of finalization of the present report, the Special Rapporteur had not received any further information from the relevant authorities on the status of the investigations on the deaths of the mentioned individuals and the investigations with regard to responsibility in the light of article 3 of the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials and its commentary. 47. A number of individuals continued to be reported as missing since the crackdown on the protests. While noting the difficulties in assessing the whereabouts of these individuals in view of the present circumstances, the Special Rapporteur would like to express his concern and hopes that the Government will put a mechanism in place in order to discover the whereabouts of these individuals. 48. In this context, the Special Rapporteur would like to focus in his dialogue with the Government on the importance of access to official information and the outcome of investigations; this will allow him to follow the process of identification and clarification of cases reported to him. IV. THE IMPACT OF CYCLONE NARGIS 49. Tropical cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar on 2 and 3 May 2008, causing devastation in Ayeyarwady Division and directly hitting the country’s largest city, Yangon. A total of 40 towns in Yangon Division and 7 townships in Ayeyarwady Division are still on the Government’s list of disaster areas. As at 16 May, the official death toll had risen to more than 77,000. According to Government media, nearly 56,000 people remain missing, with the official number of injured being approximately 19,400. 50. Assessment teams in the country have reported major damage in affected areas, particularly in the low-lying Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) delta region, where the impact of the cyclone was compounded by a storm surge. At the moment of finalization of the present report, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that, of the 2.4 million cyclone-affected people, an estimated 1.4 million are located in severely affected areas of Ayeyarwady Division, including Bogale, Labutta, Ngaputaw, Dedaye, Pyapon, Kyaiklat, and Mawlamyinegyun. In addition, the Office estimates that 680,000 individuals reside in severely affected areas of Yangon Division. 51. In its resolutions, the Council has traditionally called on the Government to cooperate fully with humanitarian organizations, including by ensuring full, safe and unhindered access of humanitarian assistance to all persons in need in the country. Regrettably, and in view of the devastating effects of the cyclone, the recommendations made by the Council in October and December 2007 respectively continue to be of great relevance to the promotion and protection of the human rights of the people of Myanmar. Promotion and protection of human rights in humanitarian crises as a result of natural disasters 52. In natural disasters, the timing of emergency assistance and the delivery of aid can determine life or death. This has been confirmed in a number of situations over recent years in almost all regions of the world. All too often, the human rights of disaster victims have not been sufficiently taken into account.