Myanmar landslide toll reaches 53

Yangon, Aug 12 (IANS) The death toll due to a landslide that buried several houses in a Myanmar town has increased to 53, with emergency teams on Monday still struggling to locate potential survivors amid the rubble.

The landslide, caused by heavy rainfall, occurred on Friday in the town of Paung, Mon state, where some 25 buildings were buried, reports Efe news.

On Sunday, rescue efforts were hampered as rains continued to lash the region. Rescue teams and military personnel are continuing the search operation supported by excavators and heavy machinery.

They have managed to access other villages cut off by the landslide, and distributed food, water and other emergency items among the affected people.

Witnesses and survivors told Efe that around a hundred people could be buried in the rubble, however the authorities have not confirmed the figure.

The intense monsoon rains have also forced the evacuation of nearly 38,000 people across the country, according to the UN.

–IANS
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