Image copyright EPA

More than 16,000 people are thought to have been displaced by floods following heavy monsoon rains in Myanmar, also known as Burma.

The flood began at the weekend and worst hit the country's eastern Kayin state on the border with Thailand.

Large areas have been evacuated and people were moved to shelters to wait for the waters to subside.

The summer monsoon has brought heavy rain across most of Southeast Asia, the Philippines and Japan.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Many villages had to be evacuated

According to the Myanmar Times, residents of the state capital Hpa-an say that while each year there is flooding, this time things are much worse.

More than 10,000 residents of the city had to leave their homes.

The extreme flooding comes just days after a burst dam in Laos flooded several villages leaving many dead and hundreds more missing.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Several relief camps have been set up to shelter those forced to leave their homes

Image copyright EPA Image caption Disaster management authorities said more than 16,000 people have been displaced

Image copyright EPA Image caption The annual floods are not unusual but water levels are extremely high this year

Image copyright EPA Image caption While flooding affected many states across Myanmar, Kayin state is the hardest hit