Nearly 120,000 displaced in Myanmar floods

Nearly 120,000 people have been displaced after floods submerged a vast swathe of southeastern Myanmar, killing 11 people and sending panicked residents fleeing for dry ground with children perched on their shoulders and few belongings in tow.

An official told AFP today over 118,000 people have taken refuge in 285 camps so far, as the toll climbed to 11 dead -- including three solders -- with more deaths feared.

Swirling, muddy waters reached thatched-roofed homes and wiped out farmland in four provinces as officials scrambled to set up rescue centres amid continued torrential rains today.

Rescuers in boats tried to pluck people from floodwaters in Hpa-an in Karen state while other residents tried to escape by any means possible, balancing on makeshift rafts or wading out carrying children and plastic bags of goods.

"There could be a few more casualties but we are still collecting the information," Social Welfare Ministry Director Phyu Lei Lei Tun said.

"Water is going down in some places. But we do not know how long the disaster will last."