Death toll from cyclone Mocha rises to 21 in Myanmar

The death toll from Cyclone Mocha that battered Myanmar on Sunday has climbed to 21, the state-run television channel MRTV reported on Tuesday, reported Xinhua.

The dead victims included military personnel carrying out a rescue operation, the media report said.

According to the media report, cyclone Mocha damaged 11,532 houses, 73 religious buildings, 47 monasteries, 163 schools, 29 hospitals or clinics, 11 telecom towers, 119 lamp posts, two airports and 112 departmental buildings.

The regions and states battered by Mocha include Rakhine, Ayeyarwady, Bago, Yangon, Magway, Sagaing, Chin, Mandalay, Mon, Shan and Nay Pyi Taw Council Area, the media report said.

Mocha caused the loss of property in 769 wards or villages in the country, it said.

Myanmar issued declarations of natural disaster-affected area for 17 townships in Rakhine State on Monday and four townships in Chin State on Tuesday.

Local authorities said that their emergency response teams were in cooperation with local rescue teams in the cyclone-hit areas.

Mocha made landfall near Sittwe in western Myanmar's Rakhine State on Sunday, with winds of up to 130 mph (about 209 kph), and raged across the country.