A teacher drowned after a motorboat capsized between Kawtkhaik and Nwarchankone villages in Kawkareik Township, Karen State, amid ongoing flooding.
According to local sources, At approximately 11 a.m. on August 24, an overloaded motorboat carrying eight people, two motorcycles and goods, capsized after experiencing engine trouble.
Local residents came to the scene to carry out rescue efforts after the boat capsized, but one passenger, a teacher, was not rescued in time, resulting in her death.
“She could not swim. Three people came to rescue them. We did not see her, perhaps because of her clothing. After the rescuers returned, they realized that someone was missing and went back to search for her. By the time they found her, more than one to two hours had passed, and she had already died,” said a person close to the deceased.
Local residents recovered the body after 3p.m. The deceased teacher was serving at Nawrchankone Basic Education Middle school and had been returning by motorboat from Kawtkhaik village with three colleagues after purchasing supplies for the school’s Lat Hkyee Festival.
According to local sources, the teacher drowned because she could not swim and that her clothing may have made it more difficult for her to stay afloat after the boat capsized.
Nawar Chan Kone village has experienced flooding since the third week of August, with residents relying on motorboats to travel to the village.
Heavy rainfall and runoff from the mountains caused the Thaungyin, Zami and Hlaingbwe rivers and streams in Karen State to overflow, with flooding continuing in Kawkareik, Kyainseikgyi, Hlaingbwe and Kyondoe Townships.
On August 21, a motorboat carrying 11 passengers also capsized on the Zami River near Hlaing Kani village in Kyainseikgyi Township, but the passengers were all rescued.
