Heavy rains from Typhoon Yasi have caused extensive damage across Southeast Asia, and Myanmar’s military junta announced on Sunday that the death toll from floods had reached at least 113 as of Saturday night.
According to a late-night news bulletin on state-run MRTV, government spokesman Zaw Min Tun said at least 320,000 people had been evacuated and 64 people were still missing.
“The government is carrying out rescue and reconstruction operations,” he said.
Severe weather from Typhoon Yatse, the most powerful storm to hit Asia this year, has killed hundreds of people in Vietnam and Thailand and flooded cities in both countries due to swollen rivers.
Meanwhile, another storm, Typhoon Bebinca, made landfall in Shanghai on Monday, triggering evacuations and flight cancellations. It was the strongest storm to make landfall in the city since 1949.
The floods in Myanmar began last Monday and state media reported that at least 74 people had died by Friday.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since a military coup in February 2021, with violence sweeping across much of the country.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said rains from the storm mainly affected the capital Naypyidaw, Mandalay, Magway and Bago regions, as well as Shan, Mon, Kayah and Kayin states in the east and south.
“Central Myanmar is currently the hardest hit, with many rivers and streams flowing down from the Shan Mountains,” the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
There are reports of further deaths and landslides, but information is difficult to gather due to damaged infrastructure and downed telephone and internet lines.
State media also reported that the floods had destroyed five dams, four pagodas and more than 65,000 homes.
About a third of Myanmar’s population of 55 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, but many aid agencies, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, are unable to work in many areas due to access restrictions and security risks.
