Hundreds of villagers in Myanmar walked or swam through chin-deep waters to flee severe flooding around the remote capital Naypyidaw as Vietnam began cleaning up waters in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi.
A swath of northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar have been battling flooding and landslides in the wake of the storm, which dumped a deluge of rain when it first hit the region last weekend.
The death toll in the four countries has reached 280, including 233 in Vietnam and 36 in Myanmar. But with many people still missing, the number is expected to rise further.
Myanmar's national fire service confirmed the new death toll on Friday, while more than 50,000 people were forced to flee their homes.
“This morning we passed through an area with water up to our necks,” a woman told AFP news agency in the village of Sin Thay.
“We are very hungry and thirsty. We have not had any food for three days.”
Soldiers rescued residents from flooded villages in the complex network of rivers and streams surrounding the sprawling, low-lying capital, with some forced to wade through deep, muddy, brown water.
Houses and nearby banana and sugar cane plantations were submerged.
“This is the first time I have experienced a flood like this,” said another man near the village, where people had gathered near a small bridge.
“We didn’t have time to prepare. It was a very scary experience.”
State media said flooding in the area around the capital had caused landslides and destroyed electricity pylons, buildings, roads, bridges and homes.
In Mandalay region, a group of villagers rode elephants to reach dry land, according to images posted on social media.
In Vietnam's capital Hanoi, residents armed with shovels, brushes and hoses were clearing debris and mud from streets after floodwaters that had submerged parts of the city receded and the sun rose for the first time in days.
The Red River running through Hanoi hit its highest level in 20 years earlier this week as rains brought by Yagi were channelled into the sea.
A total of 130,000 people have been evacuated in northern Vietnam since Yagi hit the area, and more than 135,000 homes have been damaged, according to authorities.
