YANGON, Myanmar -- The death toll from the Myanmar cyclone is more than 15,000 people, Myanmar's government said Monday night.

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Myanmar's state media said that some 10,000 people were killed by the cyclone in the town of Bogalay alone.

The ruling junta, an authoritarian regime which cut the nation off from the international community for decades, appealed for foreign aid to help in the recovery from Saturday's disaster, the country's deadliest storm on record.

The toll eclipses that from a 1926 wind storm that killed about 2,700 people in the country, according to a U.N.-funded disaster database.

It swamped low-lying communities in the Irrawaddy River Delta, and state radio said nearly 3,000 people were unaccounted for in one town alone.

Relief officials said up to 95 percent of houses have been destroyed in some villages and the country is "in dire need of shelter and clean drinking water."

They said the destruction is making it difficult to get aid in and information out.

The State Department said the U.S. Embassy in Yangon has authorized $250,000 to help with relief efforts. And first lady Laura Bush said Monday the U.S. is ready to work with the United Nations and non-governmental organizations to get water, food and shelter to storm victims, but that all international aid was stalled by a lack of cooperation from the Myanmar government.

She also used her platform to level harsh direct criticism at the government of Myanmar, charging that its people learned of the disaster only through international news media, and that their government failed to warn of the approaching storm.

She condemned the government for pressing ahead with a referendum on the country's constitution, despite the humanitarian disaster, saying its aim was "orchestrated to give false legitimacy" to the military junta.

Bands of residents in Myanmar's largest city were scrambling Monday for supplies and chopping trees and branches, trying to clear blocked roadways.

Some were complaining that the military isn't doing much to help storm victims. People were lining up to buy candles to provide light and seeking water since electric pumps are out.

Public transportation was at a standstill, although some planes were flying.

Some older people said they've never seen such devastation in their lifetimes.

Myanmar's military rulers still plan to hold a referendum on a new constitution next week.

Critics said the draft constitution is designed to cement military power and urge citizens to vote no.