A Scottish charity worker in Burma has given a picture of the chaos in the cyclone-hit country and warned that the death toll could soar to 50,000.

The news came as the official number killed in the disaster doubled in one day, with state media reporting 22,000 dead and 41,000 still missing last night.

Saturday's 12ft tidal wave swept over the Irrawaddy river region, wiping out half the homes in the low-lying villages and 95% of the city of Bogalay.

Satellite images released by Nasa showed virtually the entire coastal plain of the country under water plus a destroyed road network, wrecked power lines and flattened houses.

Speaking from Rangoon, Save the Children's Andrew Kirkwood said helicopters, boats and trucks were required to assist in the recovery of Burma, with his charity channelling two metric tonnes of blankets, mosquito nets, water purification tablets and vital injections to the region.

"There are seven townships in the south-west of the delta region in which we think 90% to 95% of homes have been wiped out. The problem is that no-one can get there. There are no roads in the region that are functional so access is primarily by boat, but many boats have been destroyed."

Mr Kirkwood, from Glasgow, said he feared the scale of the disaster was far greater than had been officially reported.

"We think 50,000 people are dead and millions are homeless, so this is not a humanitarian response that can be completed immediately. I don't think any government in the world could cope with this on their own."

Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged yesterday that Britain would do everything possible to ease suffering in Burma, with George Bush saying the US Navy would be on hand to help find the missing and the dead.

However, it is not yet clear what level of foreign aid the military government of Burma will allow into the country.