Flooding in Myanmar has caused chaos across five regions, according to junta authorities, with 13,000 people in Bago region alone being relocated due to heavy rain.

The Bago River overflowed, flooding 12 neighborhoods and seven villages across the region’s capital, according to Lay Swe Zin Oo, the director of the Department of Disaster Management and the military-run Ministry of Relief and Resettlement.

“More than 13,000 people from over 3,000 households are moving to camps. There are about 34 camps in total,” she told RFA.

Residents were warned to evacuate early Sunday morning when the Bago River quickly rose more than one foot (30 cm) above critical level, according to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology. By 6:30 a.m. Monday, the water had risen more than four feet above the critical level.

By Monday afternoon, the water level had risen up Bago’s clock tower and had submerged ground-floor apartments in some neighborhoods.

Residents were trapped inside their homes, and some mobile phone services were disabled, Lay Swe Zin Oo later told RFA.

People trapped in Bago city have been asking for help via Facebook.

One city resident said he was using a boat to helping trapped friends who were trapped by boat.

“They can’t go outside because the area is severely flooded,” he said.

The Bago River is still rising, said an official from the Metta San Yae Social Assistance Association, a local organization relocating residents affected by the floods.

Bago residents said relief camps have been opened at the intersections of flooded neighborhoods, and some people have taken refuge in monasteries.

Hundreds of passenger cars and trucks are stranded along portions of the old Yangon-Bago Highway and the new Yangon-Mandalay Expressway, a person on the road told RFA.

According to a press release from the junta’s Ministry of Information on Sunday, vans, buses and cargo trucks to and from the city would be paused until the water receded. Two train lines to Yangon from Mandalay region and Mon state were flooded, leaving more than 800 passengers stranded at the entrance of Bago city.

Aid was being delivered to the passengers, who were being transferred to Yangon by car, the press release said, adding that four other train lines through Bago have been canceled this week.

Bago region in central Myanmar has faced a challenging rainy season. In August, more than 18,000 residents were forced to move when more than a week of heavy rain flooded 13 neighborhoods.

Other areas around the country have also been impacted by flooding, including Yangon and Mandalay regions, Mon and Shan states.

Residents said Sunday that more than a hundred vehicles were stuck in places between Pyinoolwin township in Mandalay region and Nawnghkio township in Shan state.

Despite the rainy season wrapping up, monsoons like this can occur at the very end of the season, said Hla Tun, director of the junta’s Department of Weather and Hydrology.

“Monsoon season is not over in Bago, Yangon and the delta region of Ayeyarwady. It usually rains when the season is on its way out,” he said. “The nature of the monsoon is that it is a bit rough when it comes and leaves.”

Source: Radio Free Asia