Death toll rises to 34 as floods, landslides devastate villages in southern Myanmar

At least 34 people have been confirmed dead this week after heavy rains triggered floods and landslides across Tanintharyi Region’s Dawei District, with children and older people making up most of the victims, according to local sources. Launglon Township suffered the heaviest losses, with 24 deaths reported across 37 affected villages, according to data from the Tavoyan National Federation (TNF), a local resistance group. Eight people died in neighbouring Thayetchaung Township, while two children were killed in Dawei Township. The disaster began on Saturday (September 26) after heavy rainfall caused water to rise to record-high levels over the next two days, resulting in floods and landslides across all four townships in Dawei District. In Kadetngeseik, a village in central Launglon Township, at least 30 homes were completely destroyed by a landslide Sunday night, according to a local rescue team. Ten bodies had been recovered by Wednesday afternoon from among 15 people reported missing. At least 65 villages in the district were affected, including 26 that were hit by landslides, the TNF said. More than 300 homes were destroyed, almost all of them in Launglon Township. “Some people have lost everything,” said Jonathan, a spokesperson for the group, adding that reconstruction was urgently needed in many villages. The area has been particularly vulnerable because many working-age residents of Dawei District go to neighbouring Thailand to find employment, leaving some communities with disproportionately high numbers of children and elderly people, local residents said. Among the worst-hit villages were Tizit, Tawkye, Kayingyi, Thabyar, and Kyauk Ni Maw in Launglon Township. Local residents reported that some villages were almost completely buried by mud after torrents of run-off swept down mountain slopes on Sunday. At least 26 locations along the Launglon mountain range experienced landslides, according to the TNF. More than 10 bridges connecting towns and villages were also destroyed, hampering efforts by rescue teams to reach affected communities. A list of some of the dead and missing in Launglon Township; residents of a village in the township attend a funeral (Photo: Aye Yae Phyu Village Tract Funeral Assistance Association) Roads blocked with mud and debris from landslides are also making it impossible to reach some areas south of the village of Thakyettaw, sources told Myanmar Now. “Even though floodwaters are receding, travel remains difficult,” Jonathan said, adding that many areas also remain affected by power and internet outages. Residents have also reported shortages of drinking water and food. A woman in Launglon said many villages have been boiling rainwater for drinking since the flooding began. Civilian rescue teams from several townships, including Myeik, Dawei, and Hpa-an, have been providing assistance, but have not yet been able to reach all affected areas. The number of dead and missing is expected to increase as teams reach more isolated communities. Although the rain and floodwaters have subsided, the TNF said it has warned residents that additional landslides remain possible. The disaster is unfolding amid continuing conflict in Tanintharyi Region, where anti-junta resistance groups have fought Myanmar’s military since the country’s 2021 coup. State broadcaster MRTV has reported that regime authorities are carrying out emergency rescue operations in affected areas, including Dawei and Thayetchaung. Local resistance sources say, however, that military movements have added to security concerns as communities struggle to receive aid. A resistance spokesperson said on Wednesday that a military column had been observed moving near Thinkyun and Nyaungzin, villages located along the border between Dawei and Thayetchaung townships, but no clashes had been reported. He added that the column’s movements were being monitored. Junta troops also entered Pyingyi, a village near Kayingyi in Launglon Township, on Monday and reportedly withdrew after spending one night there, according to the spokesperson. In Yebyu Township, clashes broke out on Saturday and again on Tuesday as junta forces entered areas controlled by resistance forces, the spokesperson said.

Death toll rises to 34 as floods, landslides devastate villages in southern Myanmar

The number of dead is expected to rise as rescue workers reach areas that remain inaccessible days after the disaster

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

Nighttime junta airstrike kills 2 and injures 6 in Pauktaw Township

Suu Kyi speaks to son for first time in more than five years

Six women killed by Myanmar junta airstrike in Budalin

Yangon’s luxury condo buyers left waiting as projects stall