Twenty-four people were killed in Khaung Doke Kar village, northwest of Sittwe, according to a leader at a Rohingya refugee camp. He said several others were believed to be missing in low-lying areas where Rohingya villages are located.
Myanmar people clean up the rubble after Typhoon Mocha. Photo: AP
Myanmar's military government said in an earlier statement that at least five people had been killed and "several residents" injured by the storm. More than 860 homes and 14 hospitals were damaged across the country.
Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated from areas where the storm passed. Numerous trees, power poles and other infrastructure were also damaged by the storm.
Local rescue worker Ko Lin Lin said at least five people were killed in the city of Sittwe and about 25 were injured. It was not immediately clear whether these were the people previously reported by the authorities.
Cyclone Mocha made landfall in Myanmar on Sunday, toppling a communications tower in Sittwe, according to images posted on social media.
The United Nations said it had not yet been able to assess the damage in Rakhine due to communications problems. "Initial reports indicate extensive damage," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said late on Sunday.
Better forecasting and more effective evacuation planning have dramatically reduced the number of deaths from similar storms in recent years. Scientists have warned that storms are becoming more powerful as the world warms due to climate change.
Cyclone Nargis was the most powerful storm in Myanmar's history, devastating the country's Irrawaddy Delta in 2008, killing at least 138,000 people.
Hoang Nam (according to AFP)
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