Child Dies in Shan State Flooding
9 June 18 - A child died in a flood in Shan State's Taunggyi after heavy rains on Tuesday, said the Naypyitaw disaster management department.
"Drainage ditches were filled with rainwater in the Kyaung Gyi Zay ward of Taunggyi on June 5. The 10-year-old boy washed his feet in a ditch and because the water was flowing rapidly, he was carried away and died," officer U Than Kyaw Htay of the department told The Irrawaddy.
Fourteen households with some 60 people were also affected by flooding, which inundated their houses on the same day in another ward of Taunggyi, said the department.
Dozens were forced from their homes due to flooding in Lashio in northern Shan State. Torrents of water were also reported in Nan Lan village tract in Hsipaw Township, affecting dozens more.
The Shan State disaster management department denied news reports that two people were killed due to flooding in Nan Lan village tract.
"No one died or was injured. People from 11 houses had to move. Currents were high in the morning, but subsided in the evening," head of the department U Soe Naing told The Irrawaddy.
Despite rising water levels in rivers across the country, they may not reach danger levels this month. People do not need to worry about severe flash floods at this time," said director-general U Kyaw Moe Oo of the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.
"There are low-pressure areas in the Bay of Bengal and this has caused heavy rains in central Myanmar and Shan State. Heavy rains have also come in along the coastal areas; they are likely in Tanintharyi, Bago, Irrawaddy and Rakhine," he said.
Thazin Hlaing
The Irrawaddy
Thazin Hlaing is Reporter at the Burmese edition of The Irrawaddy.
Source: ReliefWeb
Report from The Irrawaddy
