Floods and landslides caused by the typhoon Yagi have left at least 226 people dead and 77 missing in Myanmar, state media reported Tuesday, bringing the storm’s death toll to more than 500 in southeast Asia.
The tally of casualties has been slow, partly because of difficulties communicating with affected areas. Myanmar is ravaged by a civil war that began in 2021. Independent analysts estimate that the ruling military controls well less than half of the country’s territory.
The typhoon Yagi earlier struck Vietnam, northern Thailand and Laos, killing nearly 300 people in Vietnam, 42 in Thailand and four in Laos, according to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Center. The latest toll also put the death toll at 21 in the Philippines, where 26 others were missing.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Monday that 631,000 people may have been affected by the floods in Myanmar. The U.N. refugee agency said 3.4 million people were already displaced in Myanmar earlier this month, mostly due to the war.
Heavy rains from the typhoon and seasonal monsoon have caused widespread flash flooding in Myanmar, especially in central regions. Some flooded areas have started to see their water levels recede, but others remain in critical condition.
More than 160,000 houses were damaged and 438 temporary relief camps were opened for more than 160,000 flood victims, the daily reported. Myanma AlinnThe military government announced that nearly 240,000 people have been displaced.
According to Myanma Alinn117 government offices and buildings, 1,040 schools and 386 religious buildings were damaged by the floods, as were roads, bridges, electricity pylons and telecommunications towers.
The daily also reported that nearly 130,000 animals were killed and more than 640,000 acres of farmland were damaged by the floods.
Myanmar experiences extreme weather conditions during the monsoon season almost every year. In 2008, Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 people around the Irrawaddy River Delta. The military government at the time was severely discredited when it waited to accept international aid.