According to a rescue worker on Saturday, a tornado swept through two villages in central Myanmar, close to the capital city of Naypyitaw, resulting in the loss of eight lives and the destruction of over 200 houses.
As per Thet Paing Soe, a prominent member of the Doh Lewe charity organization, the tornado struck Aung Myin Kone and Tadau villages located on the southern periphery of Naypyitaw at approximately 6:10 p.m. on Friday, according to a report by The Associated Press.
232 Houses Demolished In The Two Affected Villages
The leading member of the Doh Lewe charity organization stated that 128 individuals were taken to hospitals by the local charity organizations, and as many as 232 houses were demolished in the two affected villages.
Deadly #Tornado Hits #Myanmar Capital. pic.twitter.com/2L0IKc5qxe
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“The tornado blew for approximately 40 minutes. Almost all the houses in the villages are quite badly damaged. The restoration will take months,” Thet Paing Soe said.
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Major Tornadoes Are Rare In Myanmar
Myanmar typically experiences infrequent occurrences of severe tornadoes. However, Kyaw Moe Oo, the Director-General of the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, has stated that smaller tornadoes, which usually do not cause fatalities or substantial destruction, are common during the summer and pre-monsoon seasons when the temperature tends to increase.
“During this period, there are frequent tornadoes in the lower parts of Myanmar, but there are few casualties. These kinds of fatalities in central Myanmar are rare,” he told AP.
Myanmar undergoes severe weather conditions almost every year, particularly during the monsoon season. In 2008, Cyclone Nargis struck the country, leading to the loss of over 138,000 lives.
According to a report by the state-owned MRTV television, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of Myanmar’s military-imposed government, visited the affected region on Saturday and extended support to the affected residents. The report further mentioned that two Buddhist monasteries and a small clinic were also destroyed in the calamity.