At least eight people have died and two remain missing after deadly landslides triggered by torrential rains struck Thandaunggyi Township in Taungoo District, Bago Region.

At around 9:00 pm on August 5, a landslide struck Ward 1 of Thandaung Town in Thandaunggyi Township, killing all four members of a family, including two children aged 4 and 9.

Another landslide claimed the life of a local man in Ward 3 of Thandaung Town, while additional landslides near the Thaukyaekhat Stream in Thandaunggyi Township killed three more men.

“In last night’s incident, four members of the same family lost their lives, including two children, a boy and a girl. Their bodies are now being kept at the church. Another person died in Ward 3. On top of that, three more people were killed by landslides while working in an orchard near the Thaukyaekhat Stream. The two missing individuals still haven’t been found,” a Thandaung Town resident told KIC on August 6.

Search and rescue teams have yet to arrive in landslide-hit Thandaunggyi Township, so local Christian missionary groups, volunteers, and residents are carrying out rescue efforts on their own.

Several villages have also been forced to evacuate due to landslides, which have caused extensive damage. However, due to transportation and communication challenges, KIC is currently unable to confirm the full extent of the destruction.

Since July, flash floods have also struck Taungoo and Htantabin townships in Bago Region, which borders Karen State, leading to the opening of more than 20 relief camps to shelter affected communities. According to local relief groups, at least three people have died after being swept away by the floodwaters.