Dozens of Myanmar protesters who had been cornered overnight by security forces in Yangon have escaped from the area where they were trapped.

About 200 people were caught in a four-street area in Sanchaung district which the police sealed off.

At least 40 people were arrested and taken away but others managed to escape as police numbers dwindled overnight, a local resident told BBC News.

More demonstrations are being staged in Myanmar's biggest city on Tuesday.

Mass protests have been seen across the south-east Asian nation since the military seized power on 1 February in a coup.

At least 54 people have died in the protests, which are calling for an end to military rule and the release of the country's elected government leaders - including Aung San Suu Kyi - who were overthrown and detained in the coup.

According to United Nations (UN) chief Antonio Guterres, many of those trapped on Monday had been women who were marching in support of International Women's Day.

The UN had appealed to the military for their "safe release", with Mr Guterres urging "maximum restraint".

Many protesters, who had nowhere to turn to, were taken in by local residents. Others were trapped.

Early on Tuesday, one protester told the BBC that he was able to leave at around 06:30 local time (00:00 GMT). He said security forces had left the area early in the morning.

He added that 40 people had been arrested overnight, but the rest of them remained hidden until the morning and were able to leave.

Another protester told the BBC that she and a group of people were taken in by hosts when troops begin blocking the streets.

"There were seven of us trapped - six women and one man. [After a while of being inside] we got anxious and realised the [troops] were not going to leave," she said. "So we came up with some solutions to get out of that house."

She, along with another protester, eventually managed to sneak out of the host's house and left to spend the night somewhere "safer". They eventually managed to leave the area on Tuesday morning.

Source: BBC News

BDST: 1603 HRS, MAR 09, 2021
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