Thousands evacuated in Myanmar due to floods after dam breach (Lead)

Yangon : Thousands of people were evacuated on Wednesday due to floods after Myanmar's Swar Chaung dam was breached, officials said.

Residents of Yedashe town were seen wading through chest-high waters, while others clung to trees as emergency workers used ropes and inflatable rafts to rescue them, Efe news reported.

About four hundred houses from nearby villages have been affected by the floods, and a bridge near the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway has sustained partial damage.

Dozens of fire trucks and hundreds of fire department personnel were sent to the affected areas to provide emergency assistance, the Myanmar Fire Service said.

Authorities have closed the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway temporarily.

No casualties have been reported yet.