At least one dead as villages flooded in southern Myanmar’s Tanintharyi Region

Heavy rain has submerged at least 20 villages in Tanintharyi Region’s Launglon Township, leaving a local woman dead and at least 15 people missing, according to local residents. Continuous heavy rainfall since Saturday morning (September 26) has triggered severe flooding, causing deaths and disappearances, as well as landslides, destruction of roads and bridges, and homes being swept away by floodwaters. Starting Sunday morning, a Dawei-based social relief group and local rescue teams began rescue operations in Minyat village in Launglon Township, and have confirmed the death of a woman. In addition to the one confirmed fatality, at least 15 people are missing, according to an official from the Zabuthiri Emergency Patient Transporting Services-Dawei, citing reports sent to local rescue groups. “Because the floods happened so suddenly, there has been loss of life. Rescue teams haven’t been able to reach the severely flooded areas yet, so we cannot give exact numbers. Based on phone calls requesting help from locals, there could be around 15 people dead or missing,” the official said. Among the missing persons are around 10 from the village of Kadetngeseik, he added. Currently, residents from at least 20 villages in Launglon Township have been forced to flee to safer places due to rising floodwaters, a local woman from Launglon told Myanmar Now. Due to landslides on Sunday night, a Buddhist monk in Kadetngeseik and a grandfather and his two grandchildren in the village of Thabyar are currently missing, the woman added. In other affected villages, water levels continue to rise, raising fears for the safety of residents. “People are still safe for now, but rescue teams haven't been able to reach them yet,” the woman said, noting that there have been reports of landslides in several villages. Mountain run-off flowing through the Launglon area on September 27 (Photo: Supplied) Photos and videos sent by local residents show some houses submerged up to half their height. Other houses have collapsed due to sudden run-off from the mountains, while landslides have blocked roads and damaged homes. Since Saturday night, locals have been moving to higher ground, and in some villages, floodwaters began to recede slightly around 11am on Sunday, according to a man from Waydi, one of the affected villages. Some Dawei-based relief teams had been prepared to carry out rescue operations since late Saturday, but due to a curfew imposed in the city, they weren’t able to leave for Launglon until around 5am the next day, according to rescue team members. Local resistance forces have also been conducting rescue operations in the area since Saturday and have advised residents not to stay in low-lying areas and near hillside slopes, according to an official from the Launglon Township People’s Defence Organisation. “Even villages that have never flooded before suffered damage and loss. People are barely managing to escape with their lives,” the official said. Phone lines in Launglon Township have been down since Saturday night, and locals stated that due to lack of contact with certain villages, it is difficult to assess the exact extent of damage. The junta’s Department of Meteorology and Hydrology announced on Sunday that a low-pressure cell forming in Tanintharyi Region, Karen State, and Mon State was expected to continue moving north in the coming days. The announcement noted that squalls and rough seas could occur occasionally along the Mon-Tanintharyi coast, with offshore wave heights reaching approximately 10 to 12 feet.

At least one dead as villages flooded in southern Myanmar’s Tanintharyi Region

More than a dozen people have also been reported missing, while conditions in some areas remain unknown

Subscribe for full access

Fear grips Mandalay as junta-backed militias and kidnappers prey on residents

For Myanmar migrants in Thailand, hope is a 100-baht lottery ticket

‘Will it be different this time, Grandson?’

Across a border and into a war: A Karenni leader’s final journey

Subscribe for full access

Related Articles

TNLA and MNDAA rapidly upgrading Chinese border gates

At least 8 civilians killed by Myanmar junta airstrikes near Mon-Karen border

KIO/KIA rejects Myanmar junta’s offer of peace talks

Three killed in Magway Region as Myanmar junta forces continue push into Rakhine