A tornado hit two villages in central Myanmar near the capital city of Naypyitaw on Friday, killing eight people and destroying over 200 houses. The tornado struck Aung Myin Kone and Tadau villages at around 6:10 p.m. and lasted for about 40 minutes. Local charity organizations transported 128 people to hospitals, and 232 houses in the two villages were destroyed. The restoration process is expected to take months.
Although major tornadoes are rare in Myanmar, smaller tornadoes often occur during the summer and pre-monsoon periods when the temperature rises. Kyaw Moe Oo, a director-general at the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, explained that while frequent tornadoes happen in the lower parts of Myanmar, casualties are rarely reported.
Myanmar experiences extreme weather every year during monsoon season. In 2008, Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 people. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar’s military-installed government, visited the disaster area on Saturday and provided aid to residents. Structures destroyed included two Buddhist monasteries and a small clinic.
