Death toll from floods and landslides continues to rise

Over 300 people have been killed due to flooding and landslides since the remnants of Typhoon Yagi arrived in the country on Sept. 9. More than 200,000 people nationwide have been impacted. At least 200 bodies have been recovered in Yamethin Township of Mandalay Region after 350 homes there were destroyed by a landslide. 

“The exact number of deaths and destroyed homes is still unclear. We are still compiling lists,” a Yamethin resident assisting flood victims told DVB. “Most of the deaths occurred due to flooding and landslides,” a Hopong Township resident in southern Shan State told DVB. 

Regime media reported on Sunday that a total of 74 people have been killed. It added that five dams, four pagodas, and more than 65,000 houses were destroyed by flooding. Search and rescue operations are ongoing, with at least 89 people missing as of Sept. 13.

UN ‘alarmed’ by airstrikes that kill at least 10 children

The U.N. International Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) stated that it is alarmed over the death of at least 10 children on Sept. 5-6. Twenty-four civilians, including at least 10 children, were killed and eight children were injured during airstrikes in Shan State, Chinland and Magway Region. 

“As attacks intensify, we fear this pattern will only continue. In 2024 alone, at least 600 children have been killed or injured in Myanmar,” said June Kunugi, the UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific, in a press release on Sept. 12. 

UNICEF called on all parties to the conflict in Burma to protect children and civilians. It added that a community-based learning center was also destroyed in the airstrikes. “Children are being killed in the very places where they should feel safe, including their places of learning and in their communities,” Kunugi added.

Protest against China’s role in Burma staged in US capital

Pro-democracy group Anti Dictatorship in Burma – DC Metro Area held a protest in front of China’s embassy in Washington DC on Saturday. They demanded that Beijing stop interfering in Burma’s political affairs by helping legitimize Min Aung Hlaing’s regime that took power after the 2021 military coup. 

“We will object to Beijing if it continues its support to the military regime,” Yin Aye, the group’s spokesperson told DVB. “It shouldn’t encourage the regime-planned elections if they said they are not interfering in the country’s internal affairs.”

China’s Embassy in Yangon stated that Beijing rejects accusations that it is interfering in Burma’s political crisis since the 2021 coup. It stated that it adheres to the principle of non-interference. Beijing issued a letter to the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) to cease its offensive and conducted military exercises at four locations along the China-Burma border last month.

News by Region

KARENNI—The Karen Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) stated that it will conduct an investigation into the death of 18 of its medics who were swept away by a river during a training exercise in western Demoso Township on Sept. 11. 

“We are terribly sorry for the loss of our medics and we will let the public know what happened after our investigation,” Maui Pho Thaike, the KNDF deputy commander, posted on social media. The medics training was initiated by the KNDF medical department.

MANDALAY—Two ancient pagodas located in the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site of Bagan was damaged by rain on Sept. 12.  “When we examined the damaged pagoda’s bricks, they were completely saturated with water,” an official from the Bagan Archaeological Museum told DVB.

Seven men were arrested by police for an alleged robbery at a home, where a vehicle and a mobile phone were stolen, in Pyigyitagon Township on Sept. 11. The men are alleged to be members of a pro-military militia led by a Buddhist monk named Pauk Ko Taw.

“The robbers assaulted a four-year-old boy and his father, and took away a vehicle and a [smartphone] while destroying other things from the house,” a Pyigyitagon resident told DVB.

SHAN—The TNLA claimed that one woman was injured and an unknown number of homes were destroyed by airstrikes on Thabyekon village of Nawnghkio Township, located in northern Shan State, on Saturday. 

The TNLA claimed that the Air Force used two 500-pound bombs and fired rockets into the village under its control. It reported that one of the bombs didn’t detonate.

YANGON—A resistance group calling itself the God’s Hand Forces claimed that three military personnel were injured after an attack on a bunker in Shwepyitha Township on Saturday. 

“We used a remote-control explosive when they switched duties as they came out from their bunker. It is impossible to attack them when they are inside the bunker,” the group’s spokesperson told DVB.