Myanmar: 10 killed, thousands displaced in monsoon floods

At least 10 people have been killed and some 50,000 others displaced in Myanmar after monsoon rains caused flooding across four of the country’s states over the weekend, according to a government official.

“We have provided boats and lifejackets for people affected by the flooding and arranged temporary shelter,” Phyu Lai Lai Htun, director of the department of disaster management, told DPA news agency on Monday. 

The water level is now stable in two of the states and was receding in Mon and Bago states, near Yangon, according to the official.

An estimated 100,000 people may have been affected by the floods. 

The floods have not been as severe as those in 2015 when around 100 people reportedly died and more than 330,000 were forced from their homes. 

But the United Nations in Myanmar said in a statement on Saturday that it was “following with great concern the flooding and extensive devastation caused by heavy rains”. 

“The UN in Myanmar is mobilising its partners, resources and capacity and is offering to provide support to the ongoing assistance delivered to the victims of the floods by the Government of Myanmar, civil society organisations, volunteers and other partners,” UN resident humanitarian coordinator Knut Ostby said.