Floods kill scores, displace hundreds of thousand
Severe weather has whipped the country since 16 July, especially the north and the west. Villages and mountainous areas are still inaccessible because of landslides and mudslides. The military has been deployed to help the population.

Yangon (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Large-scale flooding has killed at least 27 people. According to one report, up to 150,000 people have been displaced or had their livelihoods affected.

The severe weather has affected especially the north and the west of the country, where tens of thousands of people have been trapped in remote towns and villages as a result of landslides.

Continuous rain since 16 July has wiped out farmland, roads, rail tracks, bridges and houses. Scores of people are missing.

And as the weeks of heavy rains continue, local authorities appear unable to provide residents with shelter.

"As of Thursday, 27 people have died around the country and four are missing in the Mandalay region," said the director of the Relief and Resettlement Department at the social welfare ministry.

Other sources expect the toll to rise because it is presently impossible to reach isolated areas.

The United Nations said the military in Myanmar was working alongside local aid groups to carry out rescue and relief operations.