Typhoon Yagi Unleashes Devastating Floods Across Southeast Asia

Floods in Myanmar have claimed at least 226 lives in a week following Typhoon Yagi's heavy rains. With about one-third of Myanmar's population already in need of aid, the flood's impact has worsened ongoing humanitarian crises. Other affected regions include Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos.

Floods in Myanmar have killed at least 226 people in just over a week, state media reported on Tuesday, after heavy rains brought on by Typhoon Yagi battered the central provinces of the war-torn Southeast Asian country. Around a third of Myanmar's 55 million people are already in need of humanitarian aid due to the incessant conflict following a February 2021 coup when the powerful military unseated the civilian government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

The hardest-hit areas include Mandalay, Naypyitaw, and parts of Shan state. Some 77 people remain missing, state media said. "A total of 388 relief camps were opened in nine regions and states, and well-wishers have donated drinking water, food, and clothes," reported the Global New Light of Myanmar, the military government's newspaper. In the Mandalay region alone, approximately 40,000 acres of agricultural land were submerged, and some 26,700 houses were damaged by the heavy rains and flooding, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported difficulty in reaching many flood-hit regions due to damaged roads and disrupted telecoms and electricity networks. "Affected areas include camps for displaced people, including children, who were already struggling with limited services due to ongoing conflict," UNICEF said in a statement.

REGIONAL IMPACT: Typhoon Yagi, the strongest storm to hit Asia this year, has left a trail of devastation through parts of Southeast Asia, killing at least 292 people in Vietnam where it made landfall. In Thailand, the storm caused heavy rains and flooding that inundated northern cities, including on the border with Myanmar. At least 45 people have died across Thailand from flooding and related events such as mudslides since last month, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. At least three people were killed and over 440 families evacuated in Laos, where flooding across eight provinces has also swamped some 7,825 acres of paddy fields, according to UNICEF.

(With inputs from agencies.)