A school teacher drowned after a motorized boat capsized in a flooded area between Kaw Khaik and Nwar Chan Kone villages in Kawkareik Township, Kayin State, according to local residents.

The incident occurred around 11:00 AM on August 24 when the boat—carrying eight passengers, two motorcycles, and cargo across the floodwaters—experienced an engine failure and overturned due to heavy loading.

Local villagers immediately launched a rescue effort upon the capsizing and pulled seven people to safety. However, the teacher could not be saved in time as she was unable to resurface, likely weighed down by her clothing. After realizing one passenger was missing, searchers recovered her body later that afternoon around 3:00 PM. The two submerged motorcycles have not yet been retrieved.

The deceased was a teacher serving at the Basic Education Middle School in Nwar Chan Kone village. She and three colleagues had purchased supplies for an upcoming traditional ceremony at the school and were returning by boat from Kaw Khaik village when the accident occurred.

Torrential rainfall and mountain runoff have caused major waterways across Kayin State—including the Thaungyin, Zami, and Hlaingbwe rivers—to overflow, triggering widespread flooding across Kawkareik, Kyondoe, Hlaingbwe, and Kyainseikgyi townships. With roads inundated and impassable, local residents have had to rely primarily on motorized boats for transportation.

In a similar incident on the morning of August 21 around 9:00 AM, another boat carrying 11 passengers capsized in a lake near Hlaing Ka Ni village in Kyainseikgyi Township, though all passengers were successfully rescued alive by local villagers.