Myanmar floods kill two, displace tens of thousands
24 July 2017 5:24 PM GMT
Flooding across large parts of Myanmar has displaced more than 100,000 people, causing two deaths, while dramatic riverbank erosion has washed away a Buddhist pagoda, officials, residents and state media said on Monday.
Water levels have risen steadily since unrelenting monsoon rain began to lash the heart of the Southeast Asian country in early July, driving some people to higher land or seek shelter in Buddhist monasteries, a disaster relief official said. "The situation is under control, but what happens now will depend on the weather," Ko Ko Naing, director general of the ministry of social welfare, relief and resettlement, told Reuters. "We are prepared to support the flood-hit areas because flooding happens every year."
The govt has provided food and other assistance to a total of 116,817 displaced people by Monday, as well as longer-term shelter for those outside settlements where flood waters are not expected to subside immediately. One man drowned in the floods in the Sagaing region and another was swept away while crossing a stream.
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