Myanmar battles floods as toll spikes

Hundreds of villagers in Myanmar waded or swam through chin-high waters, fleeing severe floods around the remote capital Naypyidaw yesterday, while Vietnam began clearing up after deadly Typhoon Yagi. 

People in parts of Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar have been battling floods and landslides in the wake of Typhoon Yagi, which dumped a colossal deluge of rain when it hit the region last weekend.

The overall death toll across the four countries stands at nearly 300, including 233 in Vietnam, but with many people missing it is expected to rise.

More than 235,000 people have been forced from their homes in Myanmar, the junta said yesterday.

Authorities were investigating unconfirmed reports that dozens of migrant workers were missing following landslides in a gold mining area in Mandalay region.

The junta gave a death toll Friday of 33, while earlier in the day the country's fire department said rescuers had recovered 36 bodies.

In the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, residents equipped with shovels, brushes and hoses were out clearing up debris and mud after the waters that had submerged parts of the city receded -- and the sun came out for the first time in days.

Northern Thailand was also badly affected, with one district on the Myanmar border reporting its worst floods in 80 years.