Phakant landslide rescue work continues

31 December 2016
Phakant landslide rescue work continues
A landslide at Hpakant Township of northern Kachin on 28 December 2016. Photo: MOI

Phakant Township Administrator Kyaw Swar Aung confirmed to Mizzima on December 30 that the death toll from Kachin State, Phakant landslide has not risen so far and only two people are missing.
“We continue our search and rescue operation today. We can confirm only two are missing so far. We cannot yet find any dead bodies and we have not yet received any missing complaint,” Kyaw Swar Aung explained.
Soe Thu, 35, and Aung Kyaw Win, 22, were injured in this landslide and hospitalized but they were discharged on December 29 and another man, Win Kyaw, 34, who received a head injury, is still being treated in hospital.
It was confirmed that the two people missing in the landslide are MaungShwe, 45, and Chit Ko, 37.
Phakant Township Administrator Kyaw Swar Aung said: “We checked the missing persons in villages with the help of 100-household and 10-household heads but we cannot yet find any more missing person in this landslide. We can confirm only two persons are still missing and feared to be dead.”
The landslide occurred on December 28 at about 4:45 pm at the same place of Kyauk Sein Nandaw Company land dumpsite where a similar landslide occurred before.
Due to the fear of further landslides, the rescue operation has been suspended.