1 million displaced by worst flooding to hit Myanmar in decades

Hundreds of homes have been washed away and more than one million people displaced by the worst flooding to strike Myanmar in decades. Authorities are evacuating nearly 7,000 people in Myanmar’s Chin state after further torrential rain and mudslides destroyed more than 375 homes. Five out of six townships in the state’s Hakha city have been hit by landslides, and 900 homes are in danger of being lost to rising floodwaters. Chin state’s finance minister Nan Zamon said thousands of residents are being moved to safety. Some 4,000 people are being moved from Hakha, and another 3,000 people from nearby villages will be relocated to temporary shelters.

We are carrying out the evacuation now, giving priority to people from the houses that are completely damaged.

Nan Zamon, finance minister

The United Nations says 103 people have been confirmed killed and more than a million people have been displaced by the floods. The flooding is the worst natural disaster in the country since Cyclone Nargis killed 140,000 people in 2008. Hakha is located around 600 miles north-west of Myanmar’s biggest city Yangon, and is the capital of one of the country’s poorest regions. Chin state and three other areas have been declared disaster zones as the country appeals for international help. China, India, Australia and the United States have donated money to aid the victims, and military aircraft have delivered supplies.

World Myanmar floods