Hundreds of villagers in the country waded or swam through chin-high waters, fleeing severe floods around remote capital Naypyidaw, after Typhoon Yagi dumped a colossal deluge of rain when it hit the region last weekend.
A swathe of northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar have also been battling floods and landslides in the wake of Typhoon Yagi.
The overall death toll across the four countries stands at 280, including 233 in Vietnam and 36 in Myanmar, but with many people missing it is expected to rise further.
Myanmar’s national fire service yesterday confirmed the new death toll, up from 17, while more than 50,000 people have been forced from their homes.
“We walked through neck-high water this morning,” said one woman at Sin Thay village.
“We are very hungry and thirsty. It been about three days we don’t have food.”
Soldiers rescued residents of flooded villages in the complex network of rivers and creeks surrounding the sprawling, low-rise capital, with some forced to wade through deep muddy brown waters.
Houses and nearby banana and sugarcane plantations were all submerged.
“This is the very first time I have experienced such a flood,” another man said near the village, where people had gathered near a small bridge.
“We didn’t have time to prepare. It was a very scary experience.”
State media said flooding in the area around the capital had caused landslides and destroyed electricity towers, buildings, roads, bridges, and houses.
In Mandalay region, one group of villagers rode elephants to reach dry land, in footage posted on social media.
Northern Thailand was also badly affected, with one district on the Myanmar border reporting its worst floods in 80 years.
Officials yesterday said a fatality in a landslide in Chiang Rai province had taken the toll in the kingdom to 10.
Flights to Chiang Rai airport resumed yesterday a day after airlines halted them.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra visited Chiang Rai yesterday to see relief efforts, which are being led by the military.
There are flood warnings for several locations along the River Mekong, including Laotian capital Vientiane.
The Mekong River Commission said low-lying areas around Vientiane are expected to be flooded over the next few days. — AFP
