The consequences of cyclone “Mocha” are much worse than initially thought: local media in Myanmar report hundreds of deaths. Most are internally displaced persons who have had nowhere to find shelter.
Cyclone Mocha apparently killed far more people in Myanmar than previously thought. The situation is still unclear, with local media and eyewitnesses reporting at least 400 deaths so far. Yesterday, aid organizations reported the number of victims in the single digits. The aid organization Oxfam spoke of eight dead.
A spokesman for the “National Unity Government” (NUG) confirmed to the dpa news agency that the dead were mainly members of the Muslim Rohingya minority. The NGU is a kind of democratic shadow government that was formed after the 2021 military coup as an alternative to the ruling junta.
Many missing in refugee camps the Rohingya
The news site “The Irrawaddy” also reported at least 400 deaths in Rohingya camps around the city of Sittwe in the state of Rakhine. Many drowned or were killed by falling trees.
Since the military coup, many displaced people from the Rohingya Muslim minority have been living in makeshift shelters in the region due to ongoing violence by the junta. They could hardly have protected themselves from the violent gusts of wind and heavy rain in the camps.
Many people are still missing. “The storm is only just over, it takes time to count all the victims,” said an eyewitness to the dpa news agency.
Hurricane with more than 250 kilometers per hour
The aid organization Oxfam drew attention to the enormous impact of the cyclone on the lives of the internally displaced people. “We call on the international community to provide the means necessary to enable them to live in dignity.”
The tropical cyclone made landfall in Myanmar and neighboring Bangladesh on Sunday with wind speeds of more than 250 kilometers per hour. It was the strongest cyclone to hit the region in more than a decade. The full extent of the damage is only slowly becoming clear.