Cyclone Nargis people, and the deadliest tropical cyclone in the North Indian Ocean since the 1991 Bangladesh cyclone, which killed at least 138,866 people. One aid worker claimed that the death toll from the cyclone and its aftermath might reach 300,000; if correct, Nargis was the second-deadliest cyclone ever and the fifth-deadliest natural disaster of the 20th century, after the 1931 China floods, the 1887 Yellow River flood, the 1556 Shaanxi earthquake, and the 1970 Bhola cyclone in Bangladesh. Myanmar's military leaders did not count the full death toll from Nargis (leaving the area shortly after it hit), and this led to
Cyclone Nargis while it was located about 550 km (340 mi) east of Chennai, India. On 28 April, Nargis became nearly stationary, while situated between high-pressure ridges to its northwest and southeast. That same day, the JTWC upgraded the storm to cyclone status, the equivalent of a minimal Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. Around the same time, the IMD upgraded Nargis to a severe cyclonic storm. The cyclone developed a concentric eye feature, which is an eyewall outside the inner dominant eyewall, with warm waters aiding in further intensification. Early on 29 April, the JTWC estimated Nargis reached winds