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YANGON: Nearly 120,000 people were displaced after floods flooded a vast area of southeastern Myanmar, killing 11 people and sending panicked residents fleeing the dry land with children perched on their shoulders. An official told Agence France-Presse on Tuesday that more than 118,000 people had taken refuge in 285 camps, the death toll has risen to 11, including three soldiers, with more deaths feared.
Muddy and swirling waters reached thatched houses. Residents used a makeshift raft to move through the waters during a rescue operation at Hpa-an in Karen State on Monday. AFP PHOTO
Rescuers tried to snatch people from Hpa-an waters in Karen's state while others were trying to escape by any means possible, swinging on improvised rafts or wading with children and plastic bags. "There could be a few more casualties but we continue to collect the information," said Phyu Lei Lei Tun, the director of the Ministry of Social Welfare, about "water is dwindling in some places." we do not know how long the disaster will last. "
Meanwhile, five other people were confirmed killed in a landslide caused by heavy rains in Kawthaung Township at the southern tip of Myanmar
. Stricken areas with a number of rivers exceeding danger levels of several feet and 36 dams and reservoirs overflowed, reported state-sponsored Global New Light of Myanmar
The Mekong region was defeated by monsoon rains especially floods that forced thousands of people to flee and destroy homes and farmland.
Torrential rains caused the collapse of a huge dam in southern Laos last week, wiping out whole villages and killing at least 27.
The floods caused by this disaster have infiltrated Cambodia and forced thousands to flee their homes.
Rescuers are still looking for survivors in the south of the country. Laos more than a week after the collapse of the dam, with Thai, South Korean and Chinese specialists joining efforts to find missing scores.
AFP