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The death toll from flooding caused by Cyclone Yagi in Myanmar has risen to more than 74, with 89 others reported missing, state media reported Sunday, a day after the head of the ruling junta appealed for foreign help in a rare effort.
Floods and landslides have killed 350 people in Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, following Typhoon Yagi that hit the region last weekend, according to official figures.
The death toll announced by the authorities on Saturday evening was 74 dead and 89 missing, according to the Global Light of Myanmar newspaper, after the previous toll reported that 33 people were killed and 235,000 were forced to leave their homes.
The newspaper indicated that relief and search operations are continuing, adding that the floods destroyed more than 65,000 homes and five dams.
Flooded agricultural land
Large areas of farmland in central Myanmar, especially around the capital Naypyidaw, were flooded, while landslides were reported in mountainous areas.
With roads and bridges damaged and telephone and internet lines cut off, it has become difficult to gather information about the situation.
Meanwhile, state media reported that the waters of the Situng and Bago rivers, which flow through the central and southern parts of the country, remained above dangerous levels on Sunday but were expected to fall in the coming days.
Authorities have set up 82 camps to house people who have left their homes, according to state media.
Myanmar’s ruling military junta leader Min Aung Hlaing on Saturday made a rare appeal for outside help after the council blocked international aid and thwarted foreign aid programs.
In mid-June 2023, the Council suspended travel permits for humanitarian workers who were trying to help about a million people affected by Cyclone Maka in western Myanmar.
The United Nations at the time denounced this “incomprehensible” decision.
On Saturday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Burma and the International Committee of the Red Cross told AFP that they were not currently commenting on the military council’s demand.
Meanwhile, Typhoon Bebinca is approaching China’s densely populated eastern coast and the city of Shanghai on Sunday, with authorities warning of “heavy” rain.
China’s Ministry of Disaster Management said the typhoon was expected to make landfall in Shanghai, the country’s economic capital, between Sunday night and Monday morning.
Scientists confirm that climate change makes the monsoon winds that hit Southeast Asia between June and September stronger and more turbulent.
Experts say hurricanes are forming closer to the coast, becoming stronger faster and lasting longer over land due to climate change.
