Deadly flooding across multiple townships in Arakan State

By Admin 09 Aug 2023

DMG Newsroom
9 August 2023, Sittwe

Two people drowned and two people went missing in Arakan State in the three days from August 5-7 due to continuous rains that brought rising tides in rivers and creeks, according to local people.

The two deceased were from Pyinyaung Village in Minbya Township, and the missing are from Ngatapaung Village in Kyauktaw Township and Jeitchaung Village in Ann Township.

A mother and her son died on Sunday due to strong currents in Arakan State’s Minbya Township. The mother and her two sons were returning from Thazi Village to their home village of Pyinyaung in Minbya Township on August 6, when they were swept away by strong currents, though one son managed to survive. The deceased were Daw Win Tin Kyi, 30, and her 3-year-old son, Maung Myo Win Ko.

“The water was overflowing and the tide was strong, and they were swept away by the current and drowned,” said Ko Maung Hnaung, a local man from Pyinyaung Village.

On August 7, four Ngatapaung Villagers in Kyauktaw Township had their boat capsize while entering Thechaung Village, leaving one man missing. The man has been identified as U Oo Saw Hla, 66.

“The boat collided with a tree at the entrance of Thechaung Village and capsized due to the strong current. My father went missing. I searched for him, but I didn’t find him,” said Ko Win Moe Aung, the son of the missing man.

And a local man went missing after a boat carrying seven people from Jeitchaung Village in Ann Township capsized at around 9 a.m. on August 5 while heading to Darlet Village, according to residents.

The missing man is U Maung Maung Soe, 32, from Jeitchaung Village. “It’s raining a lot here and the water is pouring down. He has been missing since five days ago. We are currently searching for him,” said Ko Nyi Chay, the brother-in-law of the missing man.

Since early August, nearly 7,000 people in Arakan State’s Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships have reportedly evacuated their homes temporarily due to continuous rains and high tides.

A Department of Meteorology and Hydrology statement on August 9 at 4 p.m. said the monsoon is strong in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, with rain expected to continue in Arakan State.

According to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, occasional squalls are expected along the Myanmar coast, with wind speeds reaching up to 40 hours per mile and wave heights from 8 to 10 feet.