Maungdaw: The death toll in the floods in northern Arakan State has mounted after two townships faced torrential rains this week.

In Maungdaw Township, at least 28 people were killed in floods, primarily in the rural north.

A government employee, who has been listing the dead, said that the 28 fatalities included 14 people from Farwet Chaung and Maung Nama Village, eight from Ouk Pru Ma Village, a boy from Kyin Chaung, two children from Ray Myat Taung, and three people from Taungbro.

Some heads of cattle were killed after being caught in the flood waters, he said.

In Buthidaung Township, 80 miles north of the capital Sittwe, over 50 people were killed in floods and landslides.

Five people in the urban area of Buthidaung died in a landslide on Tuesday, while many others were killed in the Taungbazaar area on the upper Mayu River, said a businessman from the area.

Some township officials in Buthidaung left for Taungbazaar on Wednesday in small machine boats after they received word of the flooding and casualties, he said.

A local resident told Narinjara over telephone yesterday that he had received information from Taungbazaar that 100 people were killed in the floods, but he was unable to provide further details.

"It is very difficult to tell you immediately how many people died and what is happening in the area after flooding due to the poor communication networks. But we will have more accurate numbers in the next few days," the local said.