The death toll from flooding caused by Typhoon Yagi continues to rise in Myanmar, with 226 dead and 77 missing, Myanmar state television announced on Monday evening, September 16. The previous report had put the death toll at 113.
According to official data, flooding and landslides following the typhoon, which hit Southeast Asia earlier this month, have killed a total of more than 500 people in Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. According to Burmese television channel MRTV, the floods have also destroyed nearly 260,000 hectares of rice fields and other crops in the country.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said around 631,000 people have been affected by flooding in Myanmar.
Urgent need for food, clean water, shelter and clothing
The agency, which reports an urgent need for food, drinking water, shelter and clothing, said supply lines have been cut, roads blocked and bridges damaged, severely hampering emergency efforts. Poor communications, especially in the most isolated areas, also make it difficult to gather information about victims.
According to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the floods are the worst in Myanmar’s recent history. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing on Saturday called for international help to deal with the situation, an exceptional measure since Myanmar has previously hampered the delivery of materials and supplies from abroad.
The floods have worsened the situation in the country, which has been the scene of a civil war since the junta seized power in 2021. The violence has forced more than 2.7 million people to flee their homes.
