Myanmar flood death toll climbs to 419: junta

YANGON: The death toll in Myanmar in the wake of flooding and landslides sparked by Typhoon Yagi has climbed to 419, the junta said on Tuesday.

Yagi swept across northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar this month, triggering floods and landslides that have killed hundreds of people across the region.

The floods have heaped more misery on a country where millions were already displaced by more than three years of conflict unleashed by the military’s 2021 coup.

As of Tuesday 419 people had been confirmed dead, the junta’s information team said in a statement.

Myanmar flood death toll jumps to 38

The previous death toll reported by the junta was 384 dead and 89 missing.

Tuesday’s update did not mention how many were still missing.

Poor communication, particularly with remote areas, has also meant information about casualties has been slow to come out.

The United Nations has warned that as many as 887,000 people have been affected in Myanmar in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi.

Severe flooding hit the country in 2011 and 2015, with more than 100 deaths reported on both occasions, while in 2008 Cyclone Nargis left more than 138,000 people dead or missing.