Lightning strike kills two, injures one from family of four in Thandwe Twsp

By DMG 07 Oct 2021

DMG Newsroom
7 October 2021, Thandwe 

Two out of four family members from Ywar Shay village in Kanyingon village-tract, Thandwe Township, were killed by a lightning strike on Wednesday. 

The victims were reportedly struck by lightning on their way home after selling bamboo in the southern Arakan State town of Thandwe. 

Daw Aye Aye Aung and her 2-year-old son Maung Wa Than Aung were killed, and her 5-year-old son Moe Htet Wunna Kyaw was injured and is being treated at the local hospital. Family patriarch U Than Shwe is missing and had not been located as of Thursday afternoon. 

Moe Htet Wunna Kyaw is receiving medical treatment at the hospital and is in good health, said Daw Kyar Khin, his aunt. 

“My nephew is said to be in good health but his father has not been found yet. My sister and her child were cremated. We have financial difficulties for the medical treatment,” she added. 

Ko Aung Kyaw Soe, a member of We Love Rakhine, a local charitable organisation in Thandwe Township, said the group is currently assisting with the surviving child’s medical expenses, and making preparations for supporting the 5-year-old’s future if he is orphaned. 

Local authorities and villagers are searching for the missing father U Than Shwe, according to family members of the victims. 

A 67-year-old man from Pauktaw village in Kyauktaw Township was killed by lightning and 39-year-old Daw Kyi Kyi Aye from Min Ywa village in Minbya Township was injured on October 2. 

With the waning of the monsoon season in Myanmar, the country’s people still need to pay special attention to risks from the development of thunderclouds, U Hla Tun, deputy director of the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, told DMG earlier this month. 

Those risks include the potential for strong winds, hail, thunderstorms, isolated rain and lightning strikes, he said.