President George W. Bush offered to send US naval forces to help cyclone-devastated Burma yesterday as the number of people dead and missing soared to 60,000. Mr Bush said the US, which has long-standing trade and investment sanctions against Burma, stood ready to "do a lot more to help", but that the ruling generals had first to open the door to the US. "We're prepared to help move navy assets to help find those who have lost their lives, to help find the missing and to help stabilise the situation," said Mr Bush, who has been a fierce critic of the regime. At a ceremony to honour Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's detained democracy advocate, Mr Bush said: "Our message to the military rulers is, 'Let the US come and help you help the people'." The US, which yesterday pledged $3.25m of aid to the relief effort, has two ships with drinking water and shelters within two days' reach of the area. Burma's state-television said 22,000 people had been killed and more than 40,000 were missing after tropical cyclone Nargis ripped through the south of the country on Saturday. About 1m survivors are said to need relief supplies, especially in low-lying Irrawaddy delta, much of which is submerged after it was hit by a storm surge. Rangoon, Burma's largest city, is without power and prices of food and other essentials have soared. Relief supplies from India, Thailand and other Asian neighbours are arriving in Burma but United Nations and other foreign aid workers are awaiting approval to travel to the country. With the scale of the disaster becoming more apparent, Burma's rulers said it would postpone a vote on a new military-sponsored constitution in the ravaged areas. Kyaw Hsan, information minister, defended the military's reaction to the crisis, saying the government was "doing its best" to help victims.