Posted: 2024-09-13 14:14:10

Myanmar's remote capital of Naypyidaw was struck by severe floods on Friday, while Vietnam began clearing up after the deadly Typhoon Yagi ripped through the country.

People in parts of Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, China and Myanmar have been battling floods and landslides in the wake of the typhoon, which dumped a colossal deluge of rain when it hit the region last weekend.

At least 33 people have died and 235,000 people have been displaced in Myanmar due to the storm, the country's military junta announced on Friday.

"There are 236,649 people from 59,413 households who were displaced because of typhoon floods … There were 33 deaths and one person injured around the country," junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun said in an audio statement.

He said authorities have "lost communication with some areas" and urged those living near river banks to seek shelter elsewhere and "be vigilant" until Sunday.

Earlier Friday, Myanmar's fire service gave a higher death toll of 36.

Authorities were investigating reports that dozens of migrant workers in gold mining areas in the central Mandalay region were missing following landslides, the junta spokesman said.

'No time to run' from landslides, surging waters

Four men, three in hi-vis, carry a woman horizontally through knee-level brown water.

At least 235,000 people have been displaced in Myanmar due to the storm. (AFP: Sai Aung Main)

State media said flooding in the area around the capital had caused landslides and destroyed electricity towers, buildings, roads, bridges and houses.

One resident of Sin Thay village near Naypyidaw said he and his two children had spent the previous night sheltering in a tree to avoid the surging floodwaters.

"The water reached the village very suddenly at night, there was no time to run," he said.

"We didn't get rescued until later. If they had come 30 minutes later, my family would be dead."

Some villagers dragged makeshift rafts behind them carrying their possessions, while others led livestock to higher ground.

"This is the very first time I have experienced such a flood," another man said near the village.

"We didn't have time to prepare. It was a very scary experience."

Vietnam death toll rises to 254

A group of people in orange hi-vis stand in a muddy field.

At least 82 people are still missing in Vietnam due to Typhoon Yagi. (AP: Duong Van Giang/VNA)

At least 254 people have died and 82 are still missing in Vietnam due to Typhoon Yagi, the government's disaster management agency said on Friday.

A total of 130,000 people have been evacuated in northern Vietnam since Yagi hit on Saturday, and many have not yet been able to return home. More than 135,000 homes have also been damaged, according to the authorities.

Hundreds of thousands of children have lost their homes and are lacking access to clean water, sanitation and healthcare, the UN children's agency UNICEF said in a statement.

About 2 million children have been left without access to education, psychosocial support and school feeding programs as schools have been damaged and hit by power and water shortages, it added.

The typhoon made landfall in Vietnam's north-eastern coast on Saturday and has since caused deadly landslides and floods throughout northern Vietnam.

In the deadliest single incident, a landslide wiped out a village in mountainous Lào Cai province, killing 48 people.

Residents 'cleaning up bit by bit' after record flooding

An aerial view of dozens of houses swallowed up by brown water, next to a lush green mountain.

A landslide in Chiang Rai province saw dozens of houses swallowed up by brown water. (Reuters: Anupong Intawong)

In the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, residents equipped with shovels, brushes and hoses were out clearing up debris and mud after the waters that had submerged parts of the city receded — and the sun came out for the first time in days.

"This was the highest flooding I've ever seen, it was more than a metre on our first floor," resident Nguyen Lan Huong said.

"The water started to recede yesterday afternoon so we began cleaning up bit by bit. But it will take days for our family to fully recover, and even weeks for the community here I think."

The Red River through Hanoi reached its highest level in 20 years this week, as the rain brought by Yagi funnelled out towards the sea.

One district on the Myanmar border reported its worst floods in 80 years.

Flood waters had subsided in most parts of the area by Friday with search and clean-up efforts underway, according to the authorities.

Flights to Chiang Rai airport have resumed a day after airlines halted them.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra arrived in Chiang Rai on Friday to see relief efforts, which are being led by the military.

The Mekong River Commission, the international body overseeing the crucial waterway, said low-lying areas around Vientiane are expected to be flooded over the next few days.

AFP/Reuters

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