Myanmar's Yangon-Mandalay highway was temporarily closed Wednesday morning due to the collapse of a dam spillway triggered by flooding, according to a statement from the Ministry of Construction.

The spillway of Swar Chaung dam overflowed and collapsed, affecting the nearby areas including the country's busiest highway and some townships in Bago region at about 7:00 a.m. local time (0030 GMT).

The nearby Swar Chaung bridge in the region has also been closed as it was slightly destroyed by the flooding, the statement added.

Due to the rising water levels, local people in the affected areas were being evacuated to the safer places by the authorities.

Authorities were inspecting the condition of the dam and affected areas and were making efforts to resume transport link in the area.