CRI听力:China Ready to Help Flooding Myanmar

The Chinese government says it's ready to help Myanmar cope with the massive flooding which has been inundating the country since mid-July.

Close to 50 people have been killed in the massive flooding, which is focused in Myanmar's northwest region.

Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar has personally delivered the first batch of Chinese donations to the region.

Additional Chinese donations, worth some 300-thousand US dollars, are being sent to the area.

The flooding, brought on by the annual monsoon season, has left rescue personnel in Myanmar scrambling to keep up.

"Getting food is the serious issue for us. We do not have anything because our rice stores have been flooded already. Pigs and cows as well. The flood started at midnight, so we could not prepare and had no chance to bring anything."

Authorities in Myanmar have declared the four worst-hit areas in central and western Myanmar disaster areas.

The United Nations is warning the scope of the flooding may be worse than is currently known, as poor infrastructure and communications in the worst-hit regions is limiting access to information.

The flooding has also affected the political process as the country gears toward its national election later this year.

The deadline for candidates to register for the election has been extended by a week.

At the same time, the next session of parliament, scheduled to start next week, has been postponed indefinitely.