Devastating Impact of Typhoon Yagi Across Southeast Asia

Devastating Impact of Typhoon Yagi in Southeast Asia

Rescue teams in Myanmar reported on Friday that the catastrophic floods and landslides triggered by Typhoon Yagi have resulted in the tragic loss of at least 110 lives. The death toll from this powerful storm continues to escalate across Southeast Asia, a few days after it unleashed its fury on the region with fierce winds and torrential rains.

Typhoon Yagi, which initially struck the Philippines and southern China last week, made landfall in Vietnam as a super typhoon on Saturday, marking it as one of the most powerful storms to hit the nation in decades. Although the storm weakened in the following days, it left a devastating path of destruction across northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar.

In Myanmar, where civil conflict has already strained communities, many residents expressed their inability to adequately prepare for the storm’s anticipated arrival. The lack of timely alerts regarding the severe weather and flooding contributed to the chaos, as battles between the military junta and rebel forces continued unabated, even amidst the storm.

The full extent of the disaster remains unclear nearly a week later, with many communication lines down and persistent rain keeping water levels dangerously high. Rescue teams across various towns have reported discovering bodies swept away by floodwaters or tragically caught in landslides.

• In Kalaw, a city approximately 70 miles northeast of Naypyidaw, 60 bodies have been recovered from the floods, with an entire train station submerged in muddy waters, according to Ko Aung Htet, a local rescue team member. About 80 individuals remain unaccounted for.
• “The water rose so rapidly that many could not escape in time,” he remarked, noting that residents chose not to evacuate, mistakenly believing the storm would be similar to the annual floods the country regularly experiences.
• Rescue efforts in several townships north of Naypyidaw, including Yamethin, Pyawbwe, and Tatkone, have confirmed at least 32 fatalities, among them two children, as reported by U Kyaw Myint, an official with the Myanmar Fire Services Department. Hundreds of others have sustained injuries, and many remain missing.
• “This year’s floods are particularly devastating,” he stated. “Even two-story homes have been completely inundated.”
• In the eastern state of Karenni, rivers overflowed, generating currents so fierce that they swept people away. Tragically, the bodies of 18 medics were recovered after they perished while trying to navigate a creek, as reported by the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, a local rebel group.
• “We were caught off guard and unprepared,” lamented Ko Myo Kyaw, a resident of Karenni.

In neighboring Vietnam, the storm’s toll continues to rise. By Friday afternoon, authorities confirmed at least 233 deaths, with over 100 individuals still missing. Nearly half of the fatalities occurred in Lao Cai, a mountainous province in the northwest, where a devastating landslide obliterated an entire village.