YANGON, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar experienced 546 natural disasters between January and May of this year, according to the Department of Disaster Management under the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement on Wednesday.
This marks a decrease from the 780 natural disasters recorded during the same period last year, Daw Lay Shwe Sin Oo, a director from the department told Xinhua.
The most common type of disaster during this period was fires, which primarily affected the Ayeyarwady region, Magway region, and Mandalay region, she said.
During the five months, over 8,000 houses suffered partial damage as a result of natural disasters, she added.
In response to the disasters, the Department of Disaster Management allocated 1.7 billion kyats (approximately 0.809 million U.S. dollars) in aid. ■
