A surge of water inundated the rural flatland in Bago region after the Swar Chaung dam spillway, which regulates the release of water, collapsed due to heavy seasonal rain. AFP reporters in Kayin village described how some people waded through chest-deep water to get to higher ground. No casualties have yet been reported but more than 12,600 people have taken shelter in about 30 temporary camps, Ministry of Social Welfare director Phyu Lae Lae Tun told AFP. ​Deputy Minister for Construction Kyaw Linn told reporters the bridge’s supporting towers were sinking. Regional neighbour Laos was hit badly last month when heavy rainfall caused the collapse of a dam.

Source: The Guardian August 29, 2018 14:36 UTC