Rising floodwaters in Yangon, Myanmar have swallowed a Buddhist Pagoda and sent tens of thousands fleeing their residences, as the government warned of more heavy rains ahead.
Built adjacent to the Irrawaddy River and the township of Pakokku in 2009, Thiri Yadana Pyilone Chantha temple’s slow destruction was filmed by the temple’s abbot U Pyinnya Linkkara around 4.30pm last Thursday.
Bystanders can be heard crying as the temple begins sinking into a river, with the pagoda's golden domed roof eventually completely disappearing under the water.
Heavy rainfall since early July has caused excessive flooding across large parts of Myanmar, dislodging more than 100,000 people and causing two deaths.
One man drowned in the floods in the Sagaing region while another was swept away while crossing a stream in Chin state, officials said.
The government's hydrology department has issued flood warnings for several townships in the coming days as strong monsoon rains continue to drench the country.
Myanmar is one of the most disaster-prone countries in Asia, often struck by cyclones, flooding, extreme temperatures and occasional earthquakes.
