Myanmar leader goes to disaster zones as floods batter countryside

Soldiers ride a motorbike on a flooded road at Kawlin township, Sagaing division, Myanmar July 23, 2015. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun /Files

YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's president headed to devastated rural regions where a state of emergency was declared after deadly monsoon rains displaced tens of thousands of people, flooded swathes of rice paddy and prompted fears of dams collapsing.

Thein Sein was due to arrive on Saturday at a military base in Sagaing Division, a major rice growing area where soldiers are coordinating a relief effort after a month of rain over all but two of Myanmar's 14 states.