The death toll from widespread flooding in Myanmar after Typhoon Yagi has risen to 226, with the UN warning that up to 630,000 people may need help.
Yagi swept Myanmar with strong winds and huge amount of rain, causing floods and landslides.
Dead and missing
State television in junta-ruled Myanmar confirmed 226 deaths late Monday, while 77 people were still missing, doubling the previous toll of 113.
The broadcaster also reported that nearly 260,000 hectares (640,000 acres) of rice fields and other crops had been destroyed by the floods.
631,000 people have been affected
The disaster management agency of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said about 631,000 people have been affected by the floods across Myanmar.
Food, drinking water and clothing are urgently needed, UNOCHA said, warning that damaged lines of communication, blocked roads and damaged bridges were severely hampering relief efforts.
Bad communications
Poor communications, especially with remote areas, also meant that information about casualties was slow to spread.
The UN World Food Program said on Monday that the floods were the worst in Myanmar’s recent history, without giving specific details.
Severe floods hit the country in 2011 and 2015, with more than 100 deaths on both occasions, while in 2008 Cyclone Nargis left more than 138,000 dead or missing.
Appeal for foreign aid
The junta appealed for foreign aid over the weekend, with neighboring India so far the only country to respond, sending 10 tonnes of supplies including dry food, clothing and medicine.
UNOCHA said more resources are urgently needed.
But in recent years Myanmar’s military has blocked or thwarted humanitarian aid from abroad, including after powerful cyclone Mocha last year, when it suspended travel permits for aid groups trying to reach about a million people.
Source: AFP, ertnews.gr
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