Two people are missing after a boat capsized in flood-hit Hpa-an Township, while nine others were rescued in time, according to social relief organizations.

On the afternoon of August 1, a boat carrying people from Mizan Village to buy goods capsized in a stream near the Mae Baung Market Bridge in Hpa-an Township, Kayin State, after its engine stopped suddenly.

Out of the five people on board, four men and one woman, three men were rescued near the Mae Baung Market Bridge, according to an official from the Myanmar Social Relief Organization (Hpa-an).

He continued, “The remaining man and woman were swept away by the current. The Myanmar Fire Services Department (Hpa-an District) and social assistance teams based in Hpa-an jointly searched for and rescued them alive. The woman with a head injury was taken to Hpa-an General Hospital.”

Similarly, on July 31, at around 3 pm, a boat carrying two men and one woman capsized in the Thanlwin River near Hpa-an Floating Market No. 1 located in Ward No. 2, Hpa-an. Only one man and one woman were rescued, while the other man was swept away by the current, according to Marga Ambulance and Rescue based in Hpa-an.

The body of the man who was swept away by the current was found on the morning of July 2 and was taken to the morgue at Hpa-an General Hospital by Marga Ambulance and Rescue.

Similarly, on July 30, at around 5:30 am, a boat carrying three men capsized in the tarred canal between Minzi Village and Poghtaw Village in Hpa-an Township. Two of the men were rescued alive, but one man is still missing, according to locals.

On July 23, a disabled man was swept away by the current while riding a motorbike on a flooded road between Nabu Village and Naungta Pwe Village in Kawkareik Township, Kayin State, and his body was recovered, according to locals.

Although the water level of the Thanlwin River has recently decreased slightly, as of 6:30 am on August 2, the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH) reported that it was still at 927 centimeters above the danger level of Hpa-an, which is 750 centimeters.