BANGKOK: Flash floods in the wake of Typhoon Yagi have brought destruction to northern Laos, inundating villages and farmland, putting hydropower dams under strain and claiming at least one life, officials, locals and state media said Wednesday.
The rugged, mountainous provinces of Luang Namtha and Phongsaly are worst hit, with footage from state broadcaster Lao National Television showing residents sheltering on upper floors and wading chest-deep through murky brown waters.
Floods and landslides have affected swathes of northern Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar after Yagi brought days of intense rainfall.
A tour guide in Luang Namtha said the water rose by 2m to 3m in the space of just 40 minutes on Monday.
"People have lost their livelihoods, their houses and businesses," he said, on condition of anonymity to speak freely.
"Seeing all these people with their belongings and everything is gone."
It is difficult to get a clear picture of the situation in Laos, where the authoritarian communist government tightly controls what information it releases and state media outlets have largely emphasised official relief efforts.
But the UN's World Food Programme said it was "very concerned" for the safety of communities in northern Laos, in a Facebook post.
Luang Namtha deputy district chief Sivilai Pankaew said his team had evacuated more than 300 people from 17 villages.
Aerial images of the provincial capital Luang Namtha showed most of the town of 50,000 residents swamped by opaque brown floodwaters.
Rescue workers navigated the town by motor boat as dozens of people waited for help on upper storeys.
The owner of a guest house on the bank of the Nam Tha river whose property was flooded said the waters had receded but left a thick brown residue of mud behind.
"Everywhere in Namtha is flooded," she said, requesting anonymity.
"Maybe in a month it'll be better, but right now I don't think we can take bookings."
The floods have also disrupted operations at some of the several Chinese-run hydroelectric facilities in the area.
"Flooding in Luang Namtha affected Nam Tha Dam 3 which is now shut and cannot generate power," Pankaew said.
Officials quoted in state media denied claims from locals that authorities opened floodgates on the dam to relieve pressure without warning residents.
In Phongsaly province, houses, roads, markets, and schools have been inundated and crops have suffered extensive damage, Laos National Radio reported.