Survivors of the cyclone and tidal wave that hit Laputta Township are still waiting for aid some five days later. They have no food or water, no electricity or telephone lines and many have reportedly died from injuries and lack of water in the aftermath of the storm.
Aye Kyu, a Laputta resident who managed to get to Rangoon by road on Tuesday told The Irrawaddy that half of Laputta Township—specifically the coastal area—was completely flooded and he estimated that tens of thousands of people in Laputta have already died.
Aye Kyu said that even survivors were dying for lack of food and water. Two days after the storm hit the Laputta Township in Irrawaddy Division, there were nothing to eat or drink, he said.
He said that many villagers from outlying areas had traveled to Laputta town in the hope of finding food, water and shelter. Aye Kyu said, “Many survivors are now in Laputta town. Toilets are overflowing. If aid does not arrive soon, people will starve to death.”
Many houses in the lower part of Laputta Township were hit by a huge tidal wave which destroyed everything in its path. Many people were killed immediately by the wave, he said.
“Some people tried to escape by sitting on the top of their roofs,” Aye Kyu said. “But the tidal hit them and pulled them into the sea.”
Survivors who have arrived in Laputta town are being assisted by youths and students. Some villagers are being sheltered at local monasteries and schools and some have been fed boiled rice, he said, adding that some soldiers have also arrived in Laputta town and joined the relief effort.
Aye Kyu, a Laputta resident who managed to get to Rangoon by road on Tuesday told The Irrawaddy that half of Laputta Township—specifically the coastal area—was completely flooded and he estimated that tens of thousands of people in Laputta have already died.
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| An activist holds a placard during a rally outside the building housing the Burmese Embassy in Makati City, Metro Manila May 7. (Photo: Reuters) |
He said that many villagers from outlying areas had traveled to Laputta town in the hope of finding food, water and shelter. Aye Kyu said, “Many survivors are now in Laputta town. Toilets are overflowing. If aid does not arrive soon, people will starve to death.”
Many houses in the lower part of Laputta Township were hit by a huge tidal wave which destroyed everything in its path. Many people were killed immediately by the wave, he said.
“Some people tried to escape by sitting on the top of their roofs,” Aye Kyu said. “But the tidal hit them and pulled them into the sea.”
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| A flooded village is seen from this aerial photographed over Myanmar May 6. (Nation/ Reuters) |
“I beg both the government and international agencies to get emergency aid to Laputta as soon as possible,” said Aye Kyu.
There were some 200,000 people living in Laputta Township, which is located at the southwestern point of the Irrawaddy delta.
Meanwhile, state radio in Burma reported that at least 10,000 people have been killed in Bogalay town in Irrawaddy Division, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Laputta on the southern coast. The report said 95 percent of the town had been destroyed.
“Almost every house in Bogalay were completely leveled and the rooftops were blown away,” said a resident.
A survivor in Mondine Gyi village in lower Bogalay Township said, “The tidal wave hit my house and totally submerged it. I saw bodies floating by while I held onto a piece of wood. My wife and children are still missing,” he added.
In another town in the Irrawaddy delta, Maubin, thousands of rice paddies and fields of corn, bananas, chilis and other crops were destroyed. Local farmers estimated their losses to be in the hundreds of thousands of kyat. Sources said that no emergency assistance had reached the affected areas to date.
Meanwhile, eight villages in a town in Irrawaddy delta called Dedaye, some 40 miles (64 kilometers) from Rangoon were totally destroyed.
Speaking to The Irrawaddy by phone on Wednesday, an eyewitness said, “Dead bodies are floating in the lake. There is no food or drinking water. It has been four days but still no emergency aid has arrived.”
Meanwhile, a statement released by Burma’s main opposition group, the National League for Democracy on Tuesday said that the death toll could be more than 100,000.
The statement also condemned that military regime for ignoring the plight of cyclone victims and trying to push ahead with the national referendum on May 10.
The Burmese military government has announced that some 22,500 people have killed to date while 41,000 are still missing. An estimated 1.7 million people have been left homeless.
There were some 200,000 people living in Laputta Township, which is located at the southwestern point of the Irrawaddy delta.
Meanwhile, state radio in Burma reported that at least 10,000 people have been killed in Bogalay town in Irrawaddy Division, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Laputta on the southern coast. The report said 95 percent of the town had been destroyed.
“Almost every house in Bogalay were completely leveled and the rooftops were blown away,” said a resident.
A survivor in Mondine Gyi village in lower Bogalay Township said, “The tidal wave hit my house and totally submerged it. I saw bodies floating by while I held onto a piece of wood. My wife and children are still missing,” he added.
In another town in the Irrawaddy delta, Maubin, thousands of rice paddies and fields of corn, bananas, chilis and other crops were destroyed. Local farmers estimated their losses to be in the hundreds of thousands of kyat. Sources said that no emergency assistance had reached the affected areas to date.
Meanwhile, eight villages in a town in Irrawaddy delta called Dedaye, some 40 miles (64 kilometers) from Rangoon were totally destroyed.
Speaking to The Irrawaddy by phone on Wednesday, an eyewitness said, “Dead bodies are floating in the lake. There is no food or drinking water. It has been four days but still no emergency aid has arrived.”
Meanwhile, a statement released by Burma’s main opposition group, the National League for Democracy on Tuesday said that the death toll could be more than 100,000.
The statement also condemned that military regime for ignoring the plight of cyclone victims and trying to push ahead with the national referendum on May 10.
The Burmese military government has announced that some 22,500 people have killed to date while 41,000 are still missing. An estimated 1.7 million people have been left homeless.
