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At least 13 people killed in Myanmar landslide

Sixteen homes and a monastery were covered in the mudslides
Sixteen homes and a monastery were covered in the mudslides

A landslide caused by heavy rain killed at least 13 people and injured dozens more in eastern Myanmar, as floods forced tens of thousands across the country to flee their homes.

The mud covered 16 homes and a monastery in Thae Pyar Kone village in Mon state, district administrator Myo Min Tun.

Emergency teams are set to continue the search and rescue operation tonight in the hunt for more survivors or to retrieve bodies.

Workers were also trying to unblock the main highway from Yangon to Mawlamyine, buried under up to 2m of debris, Mr Myo added.

Torrential downpours have caused rivers to burst their banks across the country while coastal communities have been warned of looming high tides.

Images showed how the town of Shwegyin in eastern Bago region had turned into a vast lake after the Sittaung river burst its banks.

        

Just the rooftops of some buildings could be seen as residents grabbed all they could before fleeing in rescue boats.

Officials say at least 30,000 people, mainly in Bago region and Mon and Karen states, were seeking refuge from the floods, many in monasteries.

The UN's Office for Co-ordinated Humanitarian Affairs has estimated around 89,000 people have been displaced in recent weeks, although many have since been able to return home.

Vietnam has also experienced heavy flooding this week with at least eight people killed in the country's central highlands.

Rescuers used a zipline to take dozens of victims to safety in Lam Dong province.