Fatal flash floods, landslides hit Mon State
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Three people have been killed and another two are missing in flash floods and landslides that have hit Mon State this week, officials and residents of the state said.
Two passengers of a car have been missing since their vehicle was swept away on August 4 in a flash flood on the Yangon-Mawlamyaing Highway. Sections of the highway were shut down that day from 9am to 8pm. Officials said the flash flood resulted from a wall breaking at the Donwon dam. A five-foot high wall of water swept over the highway, officials said. “There was nothing we could do,” one official said.
At least three people have been killed in landslides, including one pregnant woman in Kinponsakhan village, where three homes were destroyed. Another 45 homes have been destroyed by flash floods or landslides in three townships of the state this week, officials said, adding that at least two more people were killed.
Three townships have been the hardest hit: Kyaikhto, Belin and Thaton, according to Mon State Relief and Resettlement Department. Twenty temporary shelters have been opened in the three townships and more than 4,000 people are residing at them, officials said.
Almost 1,000 residents of Belin town were forced to flee their homes for higher ground after the Belin River overflowed its banks on August 5. Most have moved to monasteries or temporary shelters, officials said. Twelve shelters are housing 974 people from four wards of the town and nearby Doukyap village.
The number is expected to rise, said Kyaw Nyein Tun, deputy administrator for Belin, adding that an emergency committee had been formed to aid flood victims.
Belin resident Yin Yin Aye said she moved to a temporary shelter on August 5. "The flood began in the morning and we rushed here before it got worse,” she said, adding that the flood waters were rising.
“This year's floods have just begun,” said Kyaw Soe, whose home was submerged in Doukyap village.
