Myanmar Death Toll Mounts After Cyclone Mocha

By NORA 16 May 2023

The death toll from Cyclone Mocha is estimated at least 60 on Tuesday in Myanmar with many deaths reported around Sittwe, the Rakhine State capital.

Mocha ripped through Rakhine and Chin states and Sagaing and Magwe regions on Sunday with winds of 250km per hour reported, bringing down power lines, uprooting trees and destroying houses.

A volunteer group reported that at least five people were killed during the storm in Sittwe.

Around 40 displaced Rohingya Muslims were killed at camps near Sittwe, said U Thein Shwe, a teacher from neighboring Thet Kae Pyin village.

“Five people from one San Pya [also known as Basara] camp were killed by flooding. Two other camps were completely washed away and we found at least 20 bodies. About 100 people are missing and probably dead,” he said.

U Thein Shwe said he saw 15 bodies outside his village.

He added that around 110 Rohingya from Bayda village and another 200 from Dar Pai village were missing.

Myanmar’s regime-controlled media reported on Tuesday that 13 people were killed when a monastery collapsed in a village in Rathedaung Township and a woman died when a building collapsed in a neighboring village.

One man was killed in Ponnagyun Township.

Destruction in Sagaing and Magwe regions

At least three men were killed by Cyclone Mocha in Sagaing Region on Sunday night and another three were killed in Salin Township, Magwe Region.

Around 40 Sagaing Region villages have been flooded with three unidentified men found dead, according to a resistance fighter.

Extensive damage to rice and other crops has been reported across Sagaing and Magwe regions.