Hundreds of shelters in three camps for war-displaced Kachin civilians were destroyed when strong winds swept through Chipwi and Waingmaw townships in Kachin State on Tuesday, according to local relief workers.

At least 30 homes in the Hpare Hkyet camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) were torn apart by the wind between 2 am and 5 am on 19 April, said Zau Rau, the chairperson of the Kachin Refugee Committee (KRC).

In the Sadone area of Waingmaw Township, near Burma’s border with China, more than 300 homes were destroyed by strong winds at the Magayang and Seng Awng IDP camps later in the day, according to the KRC.

[related]

“Hpare Hkyet was hit early in the morning, and Magayang and Seng Awng were hit between 1 pm and 2 pm. Most of the damage [in the latter two camps] was at Magayang, but there was also some destruction in Seng Awng,” said Zau Rau.

No deaths or injuries were reported at the camps, which each house 500-600 people, but the KRC said there is concern that heavy rain in the affected areas could create health problems unless the shelters are quickly rebuilt.