Cyclone Hit Myanmar

YANGON, Myanmar - A U.S. military airplane with relief supplies has taken off and was scheduled to land in Myanmar Monday afternoon on a mission that American officials say they hope will “build trust.”

The United States said it received permission to land the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, and hopes to send in two more planes on Tuesday.

The supplies that the C-130 is carrying — wood, buckets, nails, blankets and plastic tarps, among items to help with shelter needs — will be handed to the military junta that rules Myanmar.

But commanding officers hope the mission will help forge a relationship that will allow the United States to send in disaster experts.

The United Nations estimates the death toll from last weekend’s Cyclone Nargis ranges from 63,000 to 100,000, well above the Myanmar government’s estimate of about 22,000. Tens of thousands of people are missing.