Typhoon Yagi Affects Six Million Children in Southeast Asia: UNICEF

Nearly six million children across Southeast Asia have been affected by deadly floods and landslides triggered by Typhoon Yagi, the UN reported on Wednesday, as the death toll from the disaster continued to rise.

Typhoon Yagi swept through Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar almost two weeks ago, bringing destructive winds and heavy rainfall. Thailand confirmed three more deaths on Wednesday, raising the country’s total to 18, with 537 fatalities now recorded across the region.

According to UNICEF, six million children have been severely impacted by the aftermath of Yagi, with critical shortages of clean water, education, healthcare, food, and shelter.

June Kunugi, UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific, said, "The most vulnerable children and families are bearing the brunt of the devastation left by Typhoon Yagi."

In Vietnam, around three million people face the threat of disease due to inadequate access to safe drinking water and sanitation, UNICEF warned. Meanwhile, in Myanmar, floods have displaced nearly 400,000 people, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation caused by years of conflict between the military and armed resistance groups.

UNICEF stated that Typhoon Yagi had worsened Myanmar’s crisis, pushing already marginalised communities deeper into despair. In response, the World Food Programme announced plans to launch an emergency operation this week, distributing one-month emergency food rations to up to 500,000 people.

UNICEF also highlighted that climate change, driven by human activity, is intensifying extreme weather events like Typhoon Yagi, with children in East Asia and the Pacific disproportionately affected. They are six times more likely to be impacted by these overlapping climate and humanitarian crises than their grandparents.