© Myanmar Red CrossSearch and rescue teams working at the scene of the landslide in Mogok Township, Myanmar, August 2021.
Fourteen people were buried under the collapsed houses. Teams of search and rescue workers including personnel from Myanmar Red Cross and the Fire Department searched through the wreckage of the buildings over the last few days. As of 26 August, officials said 11 bodies had been found. Three people survived but were injured.
Local observers said the landslide was caused by recent heavy rainfall. Around 2 weeks earlier heavy rain also took its toll on the township after a landslide caused the wall of a building to collapse, killing 3 people on 12 August. More than 145 mm of rain fell in just a few hours early on 12 August.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) reported on 27 August that heavy monsoon rainfall since late July has affected as many as 125,000 people in Myanmar, mainly in Kachin, Kayin, Mon, Rakhine and Shan states as well as in Mandalay and Tanintharyi regions.
