At least 34 people were killed and scores feared missing after a landslide triggered by monsoon rains struck a village in eastern Myanmar on Friday, AFP reported. “We found 34 dead, and the search for dead bodies is still ongoing,” said local administrator Myo Min Tun.
A deluge of mud descended on Thae Pyar Kone village in Mon state on Friday, and washed out 16 homes and a monastery. Search and rescue teams worked through the night to find survivors and recover bodies from the sludge.
Officials believe that more than 80 people could still be missing.
Torrential rainfall burst riverbanks across the country and coastal communities have been warned of higher tides. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, around 89,000 people have been displaced by floods in recent weeks, although many have since been able to return home.
Residents waded out through waist-deep waters in eastern Bago region after the Sittaung river overflowed, and led to collapse of their homes.
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