View source for Myanmar floods kill at least 10 force 54 000 people from homes

A man carries a baby through floodwaters in the Bago region, some 68 km from Yangon<br><br>Surging floodwaters have killed at least 10 people and forced tens of thousands from their homes across swathes of [https://burmatourist.com/things-to-know-about-the-myanmar-map myanmar map], a government official said Sunday as more heavy monsoon rain battered the region.<br><br>Vast areas of farmland have been submerged by muddy water stretching to the horizon, with only the rooftops of some houses visible.<br><br>Some stranded people were plucked from the churning waters by rescuers in boats, while volunteers used rafts made from barrels and pieces of wood.<br><br>Other flood victims waded through waist-deep water to escape, carrying children on their shoulders while trying to keep precious belongings out of the water.<br><br>"There have been 10 people killed by the floods," a Ministry of Social Welfare official told AFP on condition of anonymity, adding that the figure included three [http://Statigr.am/tag/soldiers soldiers] whose deaths were confirmed on Sunday.<br><br>"There are more than 54,000 displaced people affected by the flooding around the country."<br><br>Evacuation orders had been issued in several areas, while some 163 camps have been set up for displaced people in southern, eastern and central parts of the country.<br><br>"There are normally floods, but not like this year. This year is the worst ever," said Myint Myint Than, one of the hundreds taking refuge in a shelter in Bago.<br><br>Others are holding firm, refusing to leave their flooded homes in spite of the warnings from authorities.<br><br>"I'm not going to the shelter yet because some shelters don't have any places left. But if the flooding gets any worse than this, I will have to escape," Khin Mar Yee told AFP through the upper window of her submerged house.<br><br>The floods in Myanmar come as a particularly heavy monsoon pummels the region, bringing downpours that contributed to the collapse of a dam last week in Laos, which left scores dead or missing.<br><br>Myanmar is hit by severe flooding every year and climate scientists in 2015 ranked it top of a global list of nations hardest hit by extreme weather.<br><br>Residents walk in floodwaters  [https://burmatourist.com/things-to-know-about-the-myanmar-map burma map] in the Bago region<br><br>That year more than 100 people died in floods that also displaced hundreds of thousands across the country.<br><br>Myanmar's worst natural disaster of recent times was Cyclone Nargis, which lashed huge stretches of the country's coast and left at least 138,000 dead or missing in May 2008.<br><br>Advertisement