Severe Storm kills eight, destroys 900 houses in Myanmar
Pastor Dale Morgan
Sunday May 20, 3:44 PM Reuters
*Severe Storm kills eight, destroys 900 houses in Myanmar*
YANGON (Reuters) - Eight people were feared dead and more than 900
houses were destroyed by a severe storm in the Bay of Bengal that swept
through coastal districts of Myanmar last week, a fishing source and a
state newspaper said on Sunday.
A small fishing trawler with 13 crew sank off the Sindamaw Island, 18
miles (30 km) southeast of Rakhine State capital Sittwe, last week, a
fishing industry source told Reuters.
"Three of the 13 crew were rescued by a nearby fishing boat while two
got ashore using a plastic drum and eight went missing," the source said.
"As of Sunday morning, two dead bodies had been found and the remaining
six are believed to be dead," he said.
More than 900 homes, including 363 in Sittwe Township in the Rakhine
State, were damaged in the storm that blew at 80 miles per hour,
semi-government Myanmar Times weekly reported quoting a Myanmar Red
Cross Society (MRCS) official as saying.
Emergency kits were supplied to the affected families in the coastal
region, frequently struck by powerful storms, he said.
Although the Yangon-based meteorological department issues advance
warning, local fishermen hardly learn it in time due to lack of proper
telecommunication facility, the fishery source said.