Up to 351 people have been killed after a cyclone tore through Burma.

Cyclone Nargis devastated Burma's main city, littering the streets with debris from fallen trees and battered buildings.

Roofs were ripped off buildings and the city of Yangon is without power and water.

State television said 20,000 homes had been destroyed on the island of Haingyi in the Andaman Sea, the first part of the country to be hit by the storm.

United Nations disaster experts said it would be days before the extent of the damage is known.

"There does not seem to be a high number of casualties but for sure there is a lot of damage to property and infrastructure," Therje Skavdal, regional head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

The death toll, which initially stood at four before rising to 351, is expected to climb as authorities slowly make contact with outlying towns and villages along the coast

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