TACHILEIK: Prolonged heavy rains have triggered flash flooding in the Myanmar border town of Tachileik, disrupting power and telecommunications and leaving residents grappling with rising waters, local media reported on Tuesday, with more rain forecast.
The Tachileik town, which sits near the border with Thailand and is home to approximately 60,000 people, has been heavily impacted by the torrential downpours.
The flooding has submerged streets, forcing residents to navigate through red-brown waters on motorcycles and prompting efforts to bail out inundated shops and homes. Images from the area show residents stranded on rooftops and struggling with the flood’s impact on their properties.
“Many people are stuck and my friends are stuck at their offices and cannot leave,” said Phoo Phoo, a 26-year-old resident of Tachileik, speaking to AFP by phone. She described the situation as dire, with telephone and electricity lines down and ground floors of homes and motorcycles submerged under water.
Social media images have highlighted the severity of the situation, showing people perched on rooftops as floodwaters surged below them. Local media reports indicate that the town’s infrastructure has been significantly affected.
Just across the border in Mae Sai, a district in northern Thailand, floodwaters have also inundated streets, according to Thai media. The Thai weather office has forecasted more heavy to very heavy rains for the northern region on Wednesday.
The current flooding crisis follows a recent tragedy where at least 20 people went missing last week when their boat capsized on the Mekong River, approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Tachileik.
The rainy season, which typically brings prolonged heavy rains to Southeast Asia, has been exacerbated by man-made climate change, resulting in more intense weather patterns, according to scientists.
