Myanmar Flooding: Landslide Kills At Least 20 In Manipur Near Myanmar Border; More Found Dead Inside The Flooded Country

The death toll exacted by the devastating floods in Myanmar continued to rise as a landslide in India’s Manipur state close to the border with the country aka Burma buried a village and killed 20 people, according to the Times of India. Myanmar officials reported nine other deaths in their nation Saturday, the Associated Press said.

Heavy monsoon rains have ravaged Myanmar for several weeks, leading to severe flooding in all but two of the country’s 14 states and resulting in at least 27 deaths, according to Agence France-Presse. It also has led to the displacement of thousands. In the wake of the damage, Myanmar’s president declared a state of emergency in four areas: Chin, Magway, Rakhine and Sagaing.

The Indian landslide occurred in the Joupi area of Manipur’s Chandel district. “The exact numbers of casualties would be known after the evacuation work is complete,” an official told the Times of India, calling the landslide “the worst ever in Manipur in recent times.”

The newly reported nine deaths inside Myanmar resulted from a boat capsizing in the northern state of Kachin. Saturday, President Thein Sein visited the rice-growing region of Sagaging, one of the rural regions that incurred some of the worst damage, Reuters reported.

According to the Global New Light Times of Myanmar, flooding has led to the inundation of almost 400,000 acres of farmland and the destruction of nearly 30,000 acres. Another 73,000 acres were damaged as well.

Rescue and aid efforts are under way, but they are being hampered by the severity of the damage and the country’s weak infrastructure. A director with the social-welfare ministry told AFP the nation’s authorities and aid groups were “struggling to access flood-hit areas.”