The tornado passed through two towns in central Myanmar (Burma) near the capital. Eight people were killed and many injured, more than 200 homes were destroyed, emergency services said.
The tornado hit the villages of Aung Myin Kone and Tadau on the southern outskirts of Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw on Friday evening local time.
Thet Paing Soe of the local charity said almost all the houses in the villages are quite badly damaged and will take months to rebuild. “The tornado lasted for about 40 minutes,” he told the Associated Press.
The services reported the deaths of eight people. 128 injured residents were transported to hospitals. 232 houses were destroyed.
Destruction caused by a tornado in MyanmarPAP/EPA/MYANMAR MILITARY INFORMATION TEAM
Destruction caused by a tornado in MyanmarPAP/EPA/MYANMAR MILITARY INFORMATION TEAM
It’s rare in this part of the country
Severe tornadoes are rare in Myanmar. As explained by Kyaw Moe Oo of the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, those that can cause damage and fatalities often occur during the summer and before the monsoon season in the southern part of the country. He noted that in the central regions there is rarely a situation in which such a phenomenon would cause the death of so many people.
Myanmar experiences extreme weather every year during the monsoon season. In 2008, Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 people.
Destruction caused by a tornado in MyanmarPAP/EPA/MYANMAR MILITARY INFORMATION TEAM
Destruction caused by a tornado in MyanmarPAP/EPA/MYANMAR MILITARY INFORMATION TEAM
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/MYANMAR MILITARY INFORMATION TEAM