Bangkok, Sep 17 (EFE).- At least 226 people have died and 77 remain missing due to flooding in Myanmar that began last week due to tropical storm Yagi, which also affected hundreds of thousands of people across the country, according to data published Tuesday.
Flood victims wade through the flood waters with a makeshift raft during the flood in Taungoo, Bago division, Myanmar, 14 September 2024. EFE-EPA/NYEIN CHAN NAING/FILE
The Myanmar military junta says more than 163,700 people have been affected by the disaster and some 150,000 homes have been submerged, according to official media.
People carry their belonging as they wade through the flood in Taungoo, Bago division, Myanmar, 14 September 2024. EFE-EPA/NYEIN CHAN NAING/FILE
The worst-affected areas are in the Mandalay region, around the capital Naypyitaw and the northeastern Shan State, among other regions of the country.
It is difficult to know the exact number of victims and those affected due to the irregularity with which authorities publish total figures and the fact that there are areas that are difficult to access and a large part of the country is immersed in an armed conflict.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates in its latest report that more than 631,000 people have been affected by the disaster and that hundreds have died, highlighting the difficulty of the data collection process.
“So far, most areas remain submerged and evacuation and emergency assistance are underway. Despite the challenges, humanitarian partners have begun to report on the impact and plan the response where possible,” the office’s report read.
The military junta launched a rare call for international help Saturday on The Global New Light of Myanmar, the regime-controlled English-language newspaper, asking for donations inside and outside Myanmar for which it offered different bank accounts.
The impact of the tropical storm, coming from the South China Sea where it started as a typhoon, has been compounded by monsoon rains from the Bay of Bengal.
Myanmar is mired in an armed conflict that affects a large part of the country, mainly in the periphery, after the military coup in 2021, which exacerbated the guerrilla war that has been active for decades, creating a humanitarian emergency.
Due to the crisis, the military junta is internationally isolated, except for its diplomatic relations with some countries such as Russia, China and India.
Millions have been affected by Yagi in Southeast Asia, mainly in Vietnam, hit by the typhoon on Sep. 7 and where it left more than 290 dead. This was after passing through the Philippines where it killed 21, and leaving two dead in China, and its subsequent weather fronts that affected Laos and Thailand, where 10 died before it moved to Myanmar. EFE
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