Rare Big Tornado near Myanmar Capital Kills 8

Eight people were killed and more than 200 homes were destroyed by a tornado that tore through two villages in central Myanmar close to the capital Naypyitaw, a rescue worker reported on Saturday.

Thet Paing Soe, a prominent representative of the Doh Lewe charitable organisation, told The Associated Press that the tornado struck the villages of Aung Myin Kone and Tadau on the southern outskirts of Naypyitaw at around 6:10 p.m. on Friday.

According to him, 232 homes in the two villages were damaged, and 128 people were taken to hospitals by neighbourhood charitable organisations.

"The tornado was active for almost 40 minutes. The majority of the homes in the communities are seriously destroyed. Thet Paing Soe estimated that the rehabilitation will take months.

In Myanmar, large tornadoes are uncommon.

According to Kyaw Moe Oo, a director-general at the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, tornadoes of a scale that infrequently result in fatalities and significant property damage do so more frequently during the summer and pre-monsoon seasons when temperatures rise.

In the lowest regions of Myanmar, tornadoes occur frequently around this time, but few people are hurt. These kinds of fatalities are uncommon in central Myanmar, he told the AP.

During monsoon season, harsh weather practically always occurs in Myanmar. More than 138,000 people were killed by Cyclone Nargis in 2008.

State-run The head of Myanmar's military-installed administration, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, visited the disaster area on Saturday and helped the locals, according to MRTV television.