Another cyclone appears to be forming near the Burmese coast, devastated by Cyclone Nargis nearly two weeks ago.

The U.S. Defense Department's Joint Typhoon Warning Center (based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii) said Wednesday that a new tropical storm is developing on a path that could take it across Burma's Irrawaddy delta region. The center says the chances the storm will develop into a cyclone within the next 24 hours are good.

Burma cyclone survivors line up to receive food and water from local donors on the outskirts of Rangoon, Burma, 14 May 2008

A spokeswoman for the United Nations' humanitarian relief program says another cyclone could further hamper efforts to provide help to some two million Burmese left without food and water since Nargis made landfall May 2 and 3rd.

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is traveling to Burma Wednesday to deliver appeals from the international community for the government to accept more international disaster assistance.

Mr. Samak has agreed to requests from the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the United States to act as a go-between with its neighbor.

Burma's ruling military junta has refused to allow foreign aid workers into the country to distribute emergency aid.

The U.N. has warned of a second catastrophe in Burma unless the military government allows massive air and sea deliveries of aid to cyclone victims.

Elizabeth Byrs, a spokeswoman for the U.N. Organization for Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance, said tens of thousands of survivors from last week's storm could die because they are not getting emergency aid.

A U.S. Defense Department spokesman said a U.S. ship is waiting in international waters, off the Burmese coast, with 14,000 containers of fresh water to deliver.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations announced Tuesday it will send a disaster assessment team to Burma within 48 hours. Southeast Asian foreign ministers will meet in Singapore next week to discuss humanitarian assistance to Burma.

The official death toll from Cyclone Nargis has now passed the 34,000 mark. The world body estimates the death toll could be as high as 100,000.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.