Ten Dead, Dozens Missing in Landslides in Myanmar’s Mon State

Picture An area affected by landslides in Mutama Township, Mon State. / Mon State Government Office

By Lawi Weng | 9 August 2019

Ten people have died and dozens are missing after a landslide in Mottama, a small town in Thaton District in Mon State, according to local sources. At least 30 others are still missing, according to the Mudon Recuse Association (MRA).

According to the Mon State Government, 27 people have been injured in the landslide so far. U Moe Myint Shein, chairman of the MRA, told The Irrawaddy on Friday that the landslide buried ten homes, and that rescue teams are still working to rescue those residents.

"We do not have a detailed list of victims that were wounded or killed. We are still digging in the ground to find and rescue them," he said. Wounded victims are being sent to the hospital as they're found, he said. The landslide hit at the base of a mountain just after 8 a.m. local time, according Bo Bo Win, a member of the rescue team.

The landslide came as the area was hit with heavy rains on Thursday night. The region was already dealing with heavy flooding, with transportation limited or entirely shut down.

Train routes between Rangoon to Ye Township have been canceled and much of the highways, completely submerged in water, have been closed off to cars—especially in Belin Township, where the Mon State government has opened eight camps that are currently housing 1,000 people displaced by flooding.

Bo Bo Win said the landslide has also closed off portions of the Mawlamyine-Yangon Highway. Heavy rains have been ongoing for about a week in Mon and Karen states.

Elsewhere, the heavy monsoon rains have displaced some 26,000 people in 14 townships across southern Myanmar since Saturday. Additional affected areas include the Bago, Tannithary and Irrawaddy regions.

The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology announced that flooding will continue in Hpa-an, the capital of Karen State, at least until Friday, with water levels on the Salween River exceeding dangerous levels.


Myanmar Monsoon Floods Update (As of 8 August 2019...
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