Your pictures: Rangoon damage

BBC News website reader Luis Rene sent us these pictures of the devastation in Rangoon after Cyclone Nargis hit Burma. Mr Rene was visiting the country with friends when the storm struck.

Five regions in Burma have been declared disaster zones in the storm's wake, with state media saying more than 10,000 people have been killed.

Residents near the city of Rangoon described the devastation, with some claiming that not a single house had escaped damage.

Mr Rene described the roads as littered with bill boards blown down by the tropical cyclone.

Despite winds of up to 190km/h, the Shwedagon Pagoda, a sacred site for the Burmese people, did not sustain any serious damage.

While travelling through Rangoon, Mr Rene said he saw military personnel, police, monks and residents working together to clear the streets.

The cyclone has brought down power lines, blocked roads and cut off water supplies. Hundreds of thousands of people across the five affected regions have been left without food, clean water or shelter.

The junta that rules Burma has accepted offers of international help. The UN is assessing the scale of the damage and aid shipments are now being prepared by aid agencies and national governments.

Residents in Rangoon told Mr Rene that this was the strongest cyclone in living memory. To send your photos to [e-mail]. For terms and conditions see right hand side.

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