Myanmar flooding death toll jumps to 226

The death toll from massive flooding in Myanmar in the wake of Typhoon Yagi has doubled to 226, state media reported, as the U.N. warned as many as 630,000 people could need help.

Yagi swept across northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar more than a week ago with powerful winds and an enormous amount of rain, triggering floods and landslides that have killed more than 500 people, according to official figures.

State TV in junta-ruled Myanmar confirmed 226 fatalities late on Monday, with 77 people missing, doubling the previous toll of 113.

The broadcaster also said nearly 260,000 hectares (640,000 acres) of rice paddies and other crops had been destroyed by floods.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) disaster response agency said an estimated 631,000 people had been affected by flooding across Myanmar.

Food, drinking water, shelter and clothes are all urgently needed, UNOCHA said, warning blocked roads and damaged bridges were all severely hampering relief efforts.

Poor communication, particularly with remote areas, has also meant information about casualties has been slow to come out.

More than 150,000 homes were flooded, state newspaper the Global New Light of Myanmar reported, and the junta has opened more than 400 relief camps.

The U.N.'s World Food Programme on Monday said the floods were the worst in Myanmar's recent history, without giving precise details.

Severe flooding hit the country in 2011 and 2015, with more than 100 deaths reported on both occasions, while in 2008 Cyclone Nargis left more than 138,000 people dead or missing.

The junta issued a rare appeal for foreign aid at the weekend, with neighbour India so far the only country...

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