Myanmar landslide toll climbs to 59 (Lead)

Yangon, Aug 12 (IANS) The death toll from a landslide that buried several houses in a Myanmar town has increased to 59, with emergency teams on Monday still struggling to locate potential survivors amid the rubble.The landslide, caused by heavy rainfall, occurred on Friday in the town of Paung, Mon state, where some 25 buildings were buried, reports said. Residents and vehicles were swamped by deluge of mud and rocks from the collapse."Rescue operations are still underway and will continue until all bodies of victims are recovered," a Myanmar Fire Services Department official told Xinhua news agency.Precautionary measures will also be taken as there is a fear of more landslides in the area, the official added.Rescue efforts were hampered on Sunday as rains continued to lash the region. The search operation was continuing with support of excavators and heavy machinery. Rescue teams and military personnel managed to access other villages cut off by the landslide, and distributed food, water and other emergency items among the affected people.Witnesses and survivors told Efe news that around a hundred people could be buried in the rubble, however the authorities did not confirm the figure.The intense monsoon rains also forced the evacuation of nearly 38,000 people across the country, according to the UN.
--IANS soni/