Naypyidaw: Hundreds of villagers in Myanmar waded or swam through chin-high waters, fleeing severe floods around the remote capital, Naypyidaw, as Vietnam began clearing up after Typhoon Yagi.
A swath of northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar have been battling floods and landslides in the wake of the storm, which dumped a deluge of rain when it first hit the region last weekend.
The overall death toll across the four countries stands at 346, including 233 in Vietnam and 113 in Myanmar. But with many people missing, it is expected to rise further.
Myanmar’s national fire service confirmed the new death toll, while more than 50,000 people have been forced from their homes.
“We walked through neck-high water this morning,” one woman told said in Sin Thay village.
“We are very hungry and thirsty. It’s been about three days we don’t have food.”
Soldiers rescued residents of flooded villages in the complex network of rivers and creeks surrounding the sprawling, low-rise capital, with some forced to wade through deep muddy brown waters.
Houses and nearby banana and sugarcane plantations were all submerged. “This is the very first time I have experienced such a flood,” another man said near the village, where people had gathered near a small bridge.
In Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, residents equipped with shovels, brushes and hoses were out clearing up debris and mud from the streets after the waters that had submerged parts of the city receded, and the sun came out for the first time in days.
The Red River through Hanoi reached its highest level in 20 years earlier this week as rains brought by Yagi funnelled out towards the sea.
A total of 130,000 people were evacuated in northern Vietnam since Yagi hit, and more than 135,000 homes have been damaged, according to the authorities.
India rushes aid
India launched ‘Operation Sadbhav’ to provide humanitarian assistance to countries affected by Typhoon Yagi in Southeast Asia. Under the operation, India provided assistance worth $1,00,000 each to Vietnam and Laos.
A consignment of 35 tonnes of humanitarian assistance, including water purification items, water containers, blankets, kitchen utensils, and solar lanterns, among others, was airlifted to Vietnam by a special aircraft, said the govt in a statement.
The floods and landslides have caused widespread damage to property and agricultural land affecting around 40,000 people in Laos. Aid was also sent to Myanmar. “Demonstrating our solidarity with the people affected by Typhoon Yagi, India is dispatching aid to Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos,” external affairs minister S Jaishankar said.
“The humanitarian support to Vietnam is testament to the enduring close ties between the two nations, marked by our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” said the govt. "10 tons of aid including dry ration, clothing and medicines left for Myanmar onboard @indiannavy INS Satpura today," he said.
