Geneva  - The scale of the disaster caused by the cyclone in Myanmar was far worse because of poor infrastructure and a lack of radar, said international weather experts Wednesday.

The country also had no evacuation plan, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Dieter Schiessl of the WMO's risk reduction department said advance warnings were provided by the meteorological authorities in India as early as April 27 and by May 3 were being updated every three hours.

They gave accurate information about the strength of the storm which struck the south of the country Friday, destroying entire villages.

"We do not know for certain what information was passed onto the public," said Schiessl. "It is not enough to simply inform but was necessary to implement an evacuation plan with sufficient transport as in the US."

It was different to Bangladesh where the population could go to emergency shelters. No such plan or infrastructure existed in Myanmar according to WMO data.

The scale of the disaster had been completely underestimated and the lack of preparation and equipment meant a far greater death toll. However Schiessl did stress that the country would only expect such a disaster every 40 years.

"It is a very rare phenomenon like the Tsunami and under these circumstances there was little incentive for preparation," he added. (dpa)