Myanmar flooding death toll jumps to 226

By AFP September 16, 2024 | 06:30 pm PT

People with their cows wade through floodwaters in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Sept. 14, 2024. Photo by AP

The death toll from massive flooding in Myanmar in the wake of typhoon Yagi has doubled to 226, as the United Nations warned as many as 630,000 people could be in need of help.

Yagi swept across northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar more than a week ago with powerful winds and an enormous amount of rain, triggering floods and landslides that have killed more than 500 people, according to official figures.

State TV in junta-ruled Myanmar confirmed 226 fatalities late on Monday (Sept. 16), with 77 people still missing, doubling the previous toll of 113.

The broadcaster also said that nearly 260,000 ha of rice paddies and other crops had been destroyed by floods.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) disaster response agency said an estimated 631,000 people had been affected by flooding across Myanmar.

Food, drinking water, shelter and clothes are all urgently needed, UNOCHA said, warning that downed communication lines, blocked roads and damaged bridges were all severely hampering relief efforts.

Poor communications, particularly with remote areas, have also meant information about casualties has been slow to come out.

The UN's World Food Programme on Monday said the floods were the worst in Myanmar's recent history, without giving precise details.

Severe flooding hit the country in 2011 and 2015, with more than 100 deaths reported on both occasions, while in 2008 cyclone Nargis left more than 138,000 people dead or missing.