Myanmar: Over 100 dead in Myanmar floods after Typhoon Yagi hits

In Kalaw, a hill town in the Shan state, at least 12 people had died as of Saturday, one of whom was eight years old, the privately-owned Eleven Myanmar news website reported.

One man told AFP how he had tried to rescue people with ropes, as floodwaters 4m (15 ft) high surged through the town on 10 September.

“I could see trapped families in the distance standing on the roofs of their houses,” he said.

“I heard there were 40 bodies in the hospital.”

A woman who runs a company in Kalaw claimed her staff had said 60 people had died in the town, AFP reported.

Myanmar has suffered a three-year civil war since a military junta seized power in 2021. The UN estimates that thousands have been killed and 2.6 million people have been displaced by the conflict.

The Shan state is also home to several armed insurgent groups, some of which have de facto control over some of its territory.

Myanmar’s information ministry says emergency and health workers have been deployed to areas affected by floods, and that it has provided funds for food and drinking water for evacuees.

Emergency responders have also begun repairing damaged roads and bridges, state media reports.

Scientists say typhoons and hurricanes are becoming stronger and more frequent with climate change. Warmer ocean waters mean storms pick up more energy, leading to higher wind speeds.

A warmer atmosphere can also hold more moisture, which can lead to more intense rainfall.

Yagi is expected to move away from Myanmar in the coming days. Another tropical depression is forecast to develop in the western Pacific in the coming week.