More than 100 people died in flooding in Myanmar after Cyclone Yagi made landfall

More than 100 people have been killed in floods and landslides caused by the remnants of Cyclone Yagi in Myanmar.

The country’s ruling military junta spokesman, Zaw Min Tun, said in a statement on Sunday that 113 people had been confirmed dead, and another 64 were missing – although reports in the region suggested the true death toll could be higher.

Meanwhile, according to AFP news agency, more than 320,000 people have been forced to evacuate to temporary shelters.

Yagi, Asia’s strongest storm this year, has proven devastating as it swept through Vietnam, Laos, China’s Hainan Island and the Philippines.

At least 287 people are believed to have died from the storm before it made landfall in Myanmar.

Although the storm has weakened to a tropical depression since making landfall in northern Vietnam, it continues to cause deadly landslides across Southeast Asia.

In Myanmar, state media reported that as of Friday evening, nearly 66,000 homes had been destroyed, along with 375 schools and a monastery. Miles of roads and other infrastructure had been washed away.

As of Friday, more than 236,000 people had been accommodated in 187 relief camps.

The impact of heavy rainfall was concentrated in Kayah, Kayin, Mandalay, Mon and Shan states – covering central Myanmar.

Some believe the actual death toll is much higher than official estimates.

Radio Free Asia, a US-backed broadcaster, reported that at least 160 people had been killed in Myanmar – while social media accounts loyal to the ruling junta claimed that 230 people had died in the Mandalay region alone.

More than 120 people have died as of Saturday, Japanese state broadcaster NHK reported.

In Kalaw, a hill town in Shan state, at least 12 people have died as of Saturday, including an eight-year-old child, private news site Eleven Myanmar reported.

One man told AFP he tried to rescue people using ropes as floodwaters up to 4m (15ft) high swept through the town on September 10.

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

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

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

Myanmar has been in the midst of a three-year civil war since a military junta took power in 2021. The United Nations estimates that thousands of people have been killed and 2.6 million displaced by the conflict.

Shan State is also home to numerous armed rebel groups, some of which de facto control parts of the state.

Myanmar’s information ministry said rescue and medical workers have been deployed to flood-affected areas, and money has been provided for food and water for evacuees.

Emergency crews have also begun repairing damaged roads and bridges, state media reported.

Scientists say hurricanes and cyclones are becoming stronger and more frequent due to climate change. Warmer ocean waters mean hurricanes absorb more energy, leading to higher wind speeds.

Warmer air can also hold more moisture, leading to heavier rainfall.

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