100 dead in Myanmar floods after Typhoon Yagi
More than 100 people have died in flooding and mudslides caused by the remnants of Typhoon Yagi in Myanmar.
Spokesman for the nation’s ruling junta, Zaw Min Tun, said in a statement on Sunday that 113 people had been confirmed dead, with a further 64 missing – though regional reports suggest the true death toll may be higher.
Meanwhile, over 320,000 people have been forced to evacuate to temporary shelters, according to the AFP news agency.
Yagi, Asia’s most powerful storm this year, has already proved devastating as it swept across Vietnam, Laos, the Chinese island of Hainan and the Philippines.
At least 287 people were thought to have died as a result of the storm before it reached Myanmar.
While the typhoon has been downgraded to a tropical depression since making landfall in northern Vietnam, it has continued to cause deadly landslides across south-east Asia.
In Myanmar, state media reports that nearly 66,000 houses had been destroyed as of Friday evening, along with 375 schools and a monastery. Several miles of road and other infrastructure have been washed away.
Also as of Friday, more than 236,000 people were being accommodated at 187 relief camps.
The impacts of heavy rainfall have centred on the Kayah, Kayin, Mandalay, Mon, and Shan states – which cover the central region of Myanmar.
Some say the number of deaths is already far higher than official estimates.
Radio Free Asia, a US-backed broadcaster, reported that at least 160 people had died in Myanmar – with social media accounts loyal to the ruling junta suggesting 230 people had died in the Mandalay region alone.
Japan’s state broadcaster, NHK, reported that more than 120 people had died as of Saturday.
EPA