Floods Displace 25,000 in Karen State

1 August 2013

Ongoing flooding in southern Burma has displaced 25,000 people, who are now seeking refuge in relief camps, AFP reports. The Salween River broke its banks over the weekend after days of torrential downpours and the flooding has since continued to worsen. “Altogether 24,499 flood victims have been evacuated” in Karen State, Chum Hre, director of the social welfare, relief and resettlement department, told AFP. In Mon and Rakhine states hundreds more have been displaced. “It is very difficult to reach some of the disaster-hit places because of the bad weather and landslides,” he said. Helicopters are being used to reach isolated communities.