Two people died and six were injured when strong winds toppled homes last night in Yoetayaut village in Rakhine State’s Ponnagyun Township – about 25 miles from Sittwe.
The wind, described by locals as a “whirlwind” or a “tornado” by locals, only lasted for a few minutes. But since people were sleeping, some did not have time to run to safety, leaving them trapped in their homes. By the time the winds died down, 18 homes were completely destroyed, and another 22 were visibly damaged.
“Two people have died, and the injured are being hospitalized. People whose houses were destroyed are temporarily staying with their relatives,” village administrator Hla Shwe told Eleven.
The township administration has given K50,000 to each of the families of the people who were killed, and village elders gave them each an additional K20,000. Each person who was injured also received K20,000, and each household whose home was destroyed received a bag if rice.
In another village in Kyauktaw Township, the roof was blown off a high school building, leaving about 1,000 students without a place to study.
In a similar storm in June 2016, a so-called “tornado” destroyed 10 homes and damaged another 24 in Rakhine State’s Minbya Township. The storm left 160 people homeless and injured an 11-year-old girl.
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