Emergency rescue teams in Myanmar issued urgent warnings on Saturday regarding rapidly rising floodwaters as destructive and deadly inundations swept across the nation's western regions of Rakhine and Chin states.

According to the latest casualty figures released Thursday by the humanitarian services of the Arakan Army—an ethnic minority armed group that maintains control over the impacted territory—at least three individuals have lost their lives in the severe deluge.

Highlighting the mounting operational challenges on the ground, local rescuer Bo Aung Thein told AFP from She Ta Lay village in Kyauktaw Township, "Our concern is what happens if the water levels rise any further, especially when it comes to evacuating the elderly, the sick, pregnant people and those living in low-lying areas."

The unfolding crisis is severely compounded by the nation's broader humanitarian landscape, as Myanmar has remained gripped by devastating civil war following the 2021 military coup, resulting in severe communication and transport disruptions while over a third of the population grapples with food insecurity per United Nations assessments.

Describing the widespread destruction in her neighborhood, 49-year-old Kyauk Kyat village resident May Thein Yaine shared, "Our village has around 200 houses, and only one or two left unsubmerged. The rest have been flooded. All the paddy fields are submerged too."

Echoing the profound fear spreading among displaced families, 24-year-old resident Thuzar Aye added, "We have little kids at home. I'm terrified that if the water rises any higher again at night, we'll have nowhere left to shelter and no way to escape."

Source: AFP