Landslide in southeast Myanmar claims at least 10 lives

Yangon, Aug 10: A landslide buried more than a dozen village houses in southeastern Myanmar, killing at least 10 people and injuring nearly 30, media reported Saturday. Rescuers were using backhoes and bulldozers to clear the mud and debris from the village in Paung township.

The Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that some residents are still missing. The top official in Mon state, Aye Zan, visited the site and villagers who were evacuated to a relief camp to escape floods following torrential rains.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that monsoon flooding had displaced more than 7,000 people this week in Mon state. Apart from the landslide in Paung, houses and a school in other townships were washed away, roads blocked and villages submerged.

Nearly 12,000 people have been displaced in Myanmar this week alone, bringing the total number of those in evacuation centers to more than 38,000, the UN said.