Flooding kills one man, destroys hundreds of homes in remote area of Rakhine State

Flash floods caused the death of one man and destroyed at least 250 houses in rural villages in northern Rakhine State’s Minbya Township, according to aid organisations citing local sources. The deceased man was from the village of Kyay Ma Gyi and a father of six children, villagers said. At least 13 villages in the Min Ku Lan village tract—some 10 miles east of Minbya across the Lemro River, were inundated by rising floodwaters on Saturday, leaving many families displaced and destitute, according to a local aid group. “We need food, drinking water, medicine, and other humanitarian assistance to build temporary shelters for flood victims,” a representative of the Taylaung Emergency Response and Rehabilitation Committee said. The floodwaters have also caused widespread damage, destroying and contaminating homes, freshwater ponds, and farmlands in the area, local sources claimed. “We’ve never witnessed such severe flooding. Even houses built on stilts were swept away by the floodwaters,” a local resident said. Most inhabitants of Min Ku Lan village tract are descended from the Chin peoples native to Myanmar’s northwest. The village tract, made up of several dozen small villages, is on the Hpon Thar Creek, known as the Taylaung Creek in the local Chin language. Most people displaced by the flooding in Minbya Township are now staying in makeshift huts made of bamboo stalks and banana leaves since the monasteries in their villages ran out of space to provide them shelter, local aid groups said. Rakhine State’s largest and most powerful ethnic armed organisation, the Arakan Army (AA, also sometimes known as the Arakha Army), captured Minbya Township from the military in February of this year. Since then, Minbya has been one of the parts of Rakhine State cut off from supplies of basic goods by military blockades, leading to shortages and high prices. Local people normally travel via the creeks to access necessary goods and amenities in Minbya, the urban centre of the township, which is located some twelve hours away by boat. Due to the scarcity and inaccessibility of supplies, the process of rebuilding residents’ homes promises to be slow and arduous. “There’s nothing to buy—no goods or medicines—even if you go to Minbya,” a local resident said. Residents said they had also not yet received any assistance or supplies from the AA. Flash floods and landslides triggered by Typhoon Yagi have precipitated an ongoing crisis in the Naypyitaw Union Territory and in Mandalay and Bago regions as well as in parts of Shan, Karin and Karenni (Kayah) states. The military regime estimates that more than 220 people have died with more than 70 missing, while 400,000 have been displaced or otherwise impacted by the storm. However, sources assisting the flood victims on the ground believe the real death toll is higher than the military council’s estimates.

Flooding kills one man, destroys hundreds of homes in remote area of Rakhine State

Necessary goods and materials needed to rebuild homes are in short supply in Minbya Township, where the scarcity of basic goods has been exacerbated by military-enforced blockades on war-torn Rakhine State

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