The United Nations warned on Sunday that the death toll from flash floods and landslides in Myanmar is prone to rise after days of heavy rainfall, as monsoon downpours brought suffering to hundreds across the region.
At least 27 people have been killed and greater than 150,000 affected by floods in Myanmar in recent days, with the federal government declaring the 4 worst-affected areas in central and western Myanmar as “nationwide disaster regions.”
Many people also died in India, Nepal, Pakistan and Vietnam because of this of floods and landslides triggered by heavy seasonal rains.
Rescue work in Myanmar is hampered by persistent downpours and the inaccessibility of many distant regions hardest hit by floods.
In Kalay, certainly one of the worst-affected towns within the country’s northwestern Sagaing region, flooding reached the roofs of homes and exceeded the peak of some coconut trees.
An official with Myanmar’s Department of Relief and Resettlement said the floods have already affected at the least 166,000 people.
However, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the true number may very well be “much higher” because assessment teams “still haven’t reached or reported on many areas.”
OCHA said the official death toll of 27 was also likely an underestimate.
“As further information becomes available, this number is also expected to increase,” he warned in an announcement.
Seasonal monsoon rains also brought death and destruction to other Asian nations.
On Sunday, rescuers waded through mud and debris, trying to find bodies and survivors in a distant village in Chandel District on Myanmar’s border.
“So far, we have reports of 20 people killed when the hill collapsed and trapped villagers,” said Judge Memi Mary of Chandel town.
Heavy rains triggered floods in other parts of India, including the worst-hit western state of Gujarat, where the death toll has reached 53.
Floods have also hit Pakistan, killing 109 people previously two weeks, while floods have affected almost 700,000 people, and 36 people have died in landslides in Nepal.
Two of the hardest-hit areas in Myanmar are the distant and impoverished western states of China and Rakhine.
The Burma Red Cross Society said 300 homes in Rakhine were destroyed or damaged and about 1,500 people were evacuated to shelters.
“These numbers are expected to increase in the coming days as Red Cross assessment teams reach remote flood-affected areas of Rakhine,” said agency chief Maung Maung Khin.
Rakhine already hosts about 140,000 displaced people, mostly Rohingya Muslims, who live in exposed makeshift coastal camps after deadly riots between the minority and Buddhists in 2012.
State media also reported that the Chinese state capital, Haka, was rocked by landslides over the weekend, destroying 60 homes, many key roads and 7 bridges.
Emergency responders have been mobilized across the country, but officials admit the sheer extent of the flooding is putting the federal government’s limited relief efforts to the test.
Burma receives annual monsoon rains, that are a lifesaver for farmers, however the rains and frequent, powerful cyclones also can prove deadly, and landslides and flash floods are common.
This article appeared within the print edition of the South China Morning Post as: The UN warns that the death toll in Myanmar will rise
