Seven Thandwe IDPs killed in bridge collapse amid torrential rains

By Admin 28 Jul 2024

DMG Newsroom
28 July 2024, Thandwe

A bridge collapse blamed on torrential rains in Thandwe Township, Arakan State, has killed at least seven internally displaced people (IDPs) including children, said local residents.

The KyweO Bridge near Thandwe Town collapsed when a group of IDPs from Jeittaw Ward crossed the bridge amid heavy fighting on the morning of July 27, according to a resident of Thandwe. 

“Dozens of locals fled to Thandwe due to fierce fighting in Jaittaw Ward when the bridge collapsed. At least seven displaced people were killed in the bridge collapse and the bodies of three children were recovered. It is possible that the bridge collapsed due to the flood in recent days,” the Thandwe resident said.

A search operation for the missing people is underway. Details of those missing and dead remain difficult to verify due to the widespread disruption of communications lines in Thandwe Township.

“Mobile phone and internet lines are down in Thandwe, so communication is difficult. The names and ages of the victims of the bridge collapse are still being investigated,” said an IDP in Thandwe.

Heavy rains have triggered flooding in Arakan State’s Taungup, Thandwe and Gwa townships since July 20.

Fighting between the military and Arakkha Army (AA) is ongoing in Ngapali’s Jeittaw Ward, and civilian casualties continue to rise.

Hundreds of civilians have previously gone missing during the fighting in Thandwe Township, according to local residents.

The AA has seized two junta battalions in Thandwe and the ethnic armed group is currently focused on attacking the Maung Shwe Lay naval base at the southern tip of the township’s Ngapali Beach, once Myanmar’s premier coastal resort destination.