Desperate survivors cried out for aid yesterday nearly a week after 100,000 people were feared killed by Cyclone Nargis, as pressure piled up on Myanmar to throw its doors open to an international relief operation.

The United States was awaiting approval from the ruling junta to start military aid flights, but the UN food agency and Red Cross/Red Crescent said they have finally started flying in emergency relief supplies after foot-dragging by the generals.

US ambassador Eric John told a news conference in Bangkok the US and Thailand had thought the Myanmar generals had agreed to let a US military cargo plane fly in supplies.

But that turned out to be premature.

"We don't have permission yet for the C-130 to go in, but I emphasise 'yet'," Mr John said.

Approval for such a flight would be significant, given the huge distrust and acrimony between the former Burma's generals and Washington, which has imposed tough sanctions to try to end 46 years of unbroken military rule.

Aid has barely trickled into one of the world's most impoverished countries, although experts feared it would be too little and too late to cope with the aftermath of Nargis, which also left one million homeless.