Death toll rises in Myanmar flooding
Myanmar's death toll from floods rose to at least 113 as of Saturday evening, the country's military government said on Sunday, following heavy rains brought on by Typhoon Yagi that has caused havoc across parts of Southeast Asia. At least 320,000 people have been displaced and 64 were still missing, government spokesman Zaw Min Tun said, according to a late-night bulletin on state-run MRTV. "The government is conducting a rescue and rehabilitation mission," he said. Adverse weather from Typhoon Yagi, the strongest storm to hit Asia this year, has killed hundreds of people in Vietnam and Thailand, and flood waters from swollen rivers have inundated cities in both countries. The flooding in Myanmar began last Monday, with at least 74 people killed by Friday, based on state media reports. Myanmar has been in turmoil since a military coup in February 2021 and violence has engulfed large parts of the country. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the storm's rains mainly affected the capital Naypyitaw, as well as the Mandalay, Magway, and Bago regions, along with eastern and southern Shan state, Mon, Kayah and Kayin states. "Central Myanmar is currently the hardest hit, with numerous rivers and creeks flowing down from Shan hills," the OCHA said. Reports of more deaths and landslides have emerged, but gathering information has been challenging due to damaged infrastructure and downed phone and internet lines. State media also reported that five dams, four pagodas, and more than 65,000 houses were destroyed by the flooding. About a third of Myanmar's 55 million people require humanitarian assistance but many aid agencies, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, cannot operate in many areas because of access restrictions and security risks. (Reuters)