Updated at 9:57 a.m. HE on September 13, 2024
The flood waters up to five meters (15 feet) overwhelmed parts of the capital of Myanmar Naycyidaw on Wednesday, sweeping the houses and trapping thousands of residents, while the remains of Typhon Yagi swept away land and spilled the rain after beating Vietnam during the weekend.
After torrential rains that started on Monday, the water levels reached the roofs of the hundreds of houses in the villages of the capital, where the best officers of the military junta live. Some people were blocked on their roofs.
“The floods have swept away certain houses,” said a resident of the canton of Tatkon on Radio Free Asia. “We remain trapped in the village. We cannot go nowhere. We called rescue teams, but no one came. ”
In Vietnam, the number of people killed or disappeared in the Yagi typhoon and the related natural disasters reached 330 people, including 233 confirmed deaths, according to the disaster and the Authority Dike management of Vietnam.
The storm-the largest of this year to strike Southeast Asia-beaten northern Vietnam and south-eastern China on Saturday, causing landslides and a bridge to collapse in the northwest of Hanoi which was captured in dramatic dashcam images.
Overflowing rivers
Strong precipitation in the past few days have thrown water into rivers already overflowing in Vietnam, Laos and elsewhere.
In Laos, the Mekong Commission issued a flood warning for Luang Prabang, a popular tourist destination which is at the confluence of the Mekong river and a major tributary, the Nam Khan. More rain was scheduled for Thursday in Luang Prabang and Friday and Saturday in the capital, Vientiane.
On Wednesday, the Mekong River commission warned against floods in northeast Cambodia while the water descends downstream from the overflowing dams in Laos.
In the north of the state of Shan in Myanmar, the cities were also affected by rising waters that left people without electricity or telephone service.
Found further in the state of Kayin, the Thaungyin river broke out on Tuesday in the important border city of Myawaddy, according to a rescue worker who spoke in RFA on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
Several residential areas have been quickly flooded and people have since submitted to monasteries and schools, he said. About 5,000 were affected by the flood.
“The water level increases faster and stronger than before in the canton of Myawaddy,” said the emergency worker. “The flood has reached roofs in plain areas.”
More floods are probably taking place in the southern MYANMAR Delta region while water is making its way downstream on the Ayeyarwady river, according to the meteorologist Win Naing.
RFA could not contact the JUNTE disaster management department to ask questions about the state of rescue operations across the country.
Hanoi evacuations
The floods in the streets of Hanoi caused the evacuation of thousands of residents on Wednesday near the Red River.
In industrial areas in northern Vietnam, some factories have been forced to close and cannot reopen for several weeks, according to Reuters, which cited business leaders.
Many factories of Quang Ninh and Hai Phong are without electricity and water, told Reuters Bruno Jaspaert, CEO of Industrial Parks in Hai Phong.
According to Reuters, several factories of Samsung and Foxconn in Thai Nguyen and Bac Giang are also faced with the risk of flooding due to the increase in flood waters.
Floods in certain regions of northern Vietnam have also been affected by the release of water from a hydroelectric power station along the Chinese section of the LO River, which is a tributary of the Red River. The Vietnamese government said he had asked Beijing to reduce the release.
Translated by Aung Naing, Anna Vu and Sum Sok Ry. Published by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster. Vietnamese Fire and RFA Khmer contributed to this report.
This story has been updated to include LAT Hne Many people killed or disappeared in the Yagi typhoon and natural disasters related to Vietnam.