Myanmar dam breach displaces thousands

More than 50,000 people in central Myanmar were forced to evacuate their homes on Wednesday after heavy seasonal rains caused a dam to overflow.

The Swar Chaung dam spillway, which regulates the release of water, collapsed due to heavy seasonal rain, causing water to flood the rural flatland region of Bago.

No casualties have been reported so far but more than 12,600 people have taken shelter in about 30 temporary camps, Ministry of Social Welfare director Phyu Lae Lae Tun told AFP news agency.

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"There are more than 14,000 households and some 63,000 people affected by the waters," she said.

The flood damaged part of a bridge on the Yangon-Mandalay highway, which links Myanmar's two biggest cities.

Deputy Minister for Construction Kyaw Linn told reporters the bridge's supporting towers were sinking.

"We will get divers to go down and check after the water levels recede," he said.

Residents raised concerns

According to state media, authorities had given the dam the okay following an inspection just days prior, despite residents expressing concerns about overspill.

Army chief Min Aung Hlaing said it would not be possible to control the spillway until the water flow stopped.

Heavy monsoon rains have hit Myanmar hard in recent weeks, causing widespread flash flooding that forced some 50,000 people to flee their homes.

Read more: Laos disaster reveals the ugly side of hydropower in Southeast Asia

The latest dam incident comes after heavy rainfall caused the $1.2-billion Xe-Namnoy dam in Laos to collapse last month, killing at least 27 people with scores still missing and thousands left living in makeshift shelters.

law/kms (AFP, Reuters)