Floods and mudslides kill more than 200 in Myanmar
According to the military government, the death toll in Myanmar from Typhoon Yagi has surpassed 220, with nearly 80 people still unaccounted for. The typhoon, which struck northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar in early September, has claimed over 500 lives across the region, based on official reports.
In Myanmar, the storm caused severe flooding and mudslides, resulting in at least 226 fatalities and the destruction of entire villages. The UN has reported that the disaster has devastated hundreds of thousands of acres of crops, leaving over half a million people in urgent need of food, clean water, shelter, and clothing.
The UN also noted that the storm’s impact affected nine states and regions in Myanmar, including the capital Naypyidaw, Mandalay in the north, Magway in the west, and Bago in the south—all areas situated along the Irrawaddy River.
Also hit were Shan State in the north-east and Mon, Kayah and Kayin states, which lie to its south.
A civil war has engulfed the country since early 2021, when the army sized power after ousting the democratically-elected government.
Since then thousands have been killed and millions forced from their homes as various armed resistance groups battle the ruling military junta.
In the last year or so, the army has lost control of large parts of the country, creating an unstable patchwork of governance.
That, coupled with poor communication in remote areas, has meant information about casualties has been slow to emerge.
The United Nations said the floods are among the worst in Myanmar’s recent history. Its disaster response agency estimated that some 630,000 people have been affected by the flooding with blocked roads, damaged bridges and severed communication lines, all of which have severely hampered relief efforts.
Aid agencies also have little or no access to many parts of the country, including Shan State, one of the worst-hit by the flooding, which is now largely controlled by a rebel army.
A volunteer rescuer in the state’s south told BBC Burmese that entire homes had been buried under mudslides.
“We have collected over 100 dead bodies so far, including children and elderly people. We’re still searching for over 200 more,” he added.
“This flooding is the worst I have ever seen in my life,” said a resident in the east of Shan State.
The situaiton is just as dire more than 500 miles away, in the south-east: “People are in urgent need of food,” Khon Matia, a senior official in rebel-controlled Kayin State (formerly Karen State) told BBC Burmese.
“There is no offer of international aid. People are in a more difficult position here because everything is blocked because of the floods and the war. So it is very difficult to reach us.”
The ruling military junta issued a rare appeal for help at the weekend, with neighbouring India so far the only country to respond. It sent aid, including food, clothes and medicine.
Typhoon Yagi also caused 10 deaths in Thailand and one in Laos.
In Vietnam, the death toll stands at 292, with 38 missing, more than 230,000 homes damaged, 280,000 hectares of crops destroyed and major manufacturing hubs heavily damaged, according to authorities.
