21 dead, 150,000 injured in water floods in Myanmar

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 (KUNA) -- Myanmar's authorities announced on Monday that about 21 people had died and more than 150,000 injured from floodwaters and torrential rain that hit 12 regions in the country the past few days.
Around 17,554 people were displaced due to the seasonal rains on the country, where the most damaged areas were provinces of Rakhine, Chin, Magwe and Sagaing, said The Department of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement in a statement.
Rescue work in Myanmar has been hampered by continued downpours and the inaccessibility to many of the remote regions battered by the deluges, the statement added.
The Myanmar Red Cross Society said 300 homes in Rakhine had been destroyed or damaged, with around 1,500 people evacuated to shelters.
At least 27 people have been killed and more than 150,000 affected by flooding in Myanmar in recent days, with the government declaring the four worst-hit areas in central and western Myanmar "national disaster-affected regions". (end) mam.ss