Burma

20 Die as Ancient Pagoda Mysteriously Collapses

By MIN LWIN Monday, June 1, 2009

COMMENTS (8)

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Danok Pagoda, an ancient temple thought to contain two Buddha relics, collapsed on Saturday killing at least 20 people and injuring about 150, according to local residents.

It is believed that the casualties were all construction workers and naval personnel who were working to restore the pagoda when it suddenly collapsed.

The rubble of Danok Pagoda after its mysterious collapse on Saturday (Photo: Getty Images)

The incident is immediately shrouded in mystery and superstition with locals and surviving workers telling tales of strange weather, bright red lights and supernatural voices.

“The temple collapsed about 3:10 p.m. while I was loading bricks on a platform around the pagoda,” said a 24-year-old construction worker who sustained only minor injuries.

“The weather suddenly turned very dark,” he told The Irrawaddy. “Then we saw a bright red light rising from the northern end of the pagoda. Then, suddenly, the temple collapsed,” he said. “I also heard a strange haunting voice coming from the direction of the light.”

The 2,300-year-old Buddhist temple is located in Danok Model Village in Dalla Township in Rangoon Division, and is revered for being a site where two Buddha relics are housed.

Restoration work on the 170-foot (52-meter) pagoda had been taking place at the time of the collapse. As well as a construction team, naval personnel from No. 36 Naval Flotilla were working on the project.

Members of Than Shwe family hoist the pagoda's htidaw, or sacred umbrella. (Photo: The Irrawaddy)

The disaster was particularly ill-fated: on May 7, junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe’s wife, Kyaing Kyaing, along with family members and senior military officials’ families, had attended a ceremony at the pagoda and had symbolically placed the hti, a sacred golden umbrella, on top of the pagoda.

Several elderly locals from Danok Model Village said that they believed that the pagoda never welcomed cruel or unkind donors, and always shook when such persons made offerings.

It is said that Kyaing Kyaing places hti on pagodas as an act to avoid bad luck, said a reporter in Rangoon.

Rangoon-based weekly journals were instructed by Burma 's notoriously draconian censorship board not to report the event.

According to some witnesses, they had seen the shadow of the pagoda in the sky on Friday night between 10 pm and 2 am and noticed that no umbrella was visible.

Astrologers in the former capital have said that the incident is a sign that further ill-fated events will happen soon.

According to oral history, Danok Pagoda was built some 2,300 years ago.

According to sources in Rangoon, local residents are angry about the government’s slow rescue effort, which continued until Sunday night. The rescue team was reportedly unable to clear the debris under which five people or more are thought to have disappeared.

Additional reporting by Aung Thet Wine in Rangoon.

COMMENTS (8)

ma ma Wrote:

04/06/2009

Than Shwe and Maung Aye might be thinking they will be there forever. They are forgetting no-one or nothing lasts forever and everyone will be gone one day. They should be worrying where they will go after death.

They should be aware of what happened to U Ne Win. Every one will be in glee when that day arrives.

Now is the omen for their future. When the ruling men of the country are bad, the country has to suffer all the disasters and all the bad things.

Myat Theik Wrote:

03/06/2009

A bad omen for Bo Than Shwe, Daw Kyaing Kyaing and their family's members and relatives. This is the beginning of their end. The souls of our brothers and sisters who sacrificed their lives for justice will haunt them back in the near future.

Paukhaung Thar Wrote:

02/06/2009

Most of Burma's blood-tainted jade and gems were bought by Chinese jewellers at the junta's gems auction held not long after the junta killed the monks and innocent people.

Then, as you all heard and saw in the media, there came "The Great Sichuan Earthquake" as someone had predicted.

Now, "The ruling Demons of Burma" are framing to convict the peoples' beloved leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The message has been clearly heard from heaven and warned by "Danok Pagoda".

If the junta continues to be wicked, sooner or later, wicked people will be swallowed under the ground, as nono wrote.

nono Wrote:

02/06/2009

That means if Than Shwe and family and friends are still in Burma, the country will collapse soon. Sooner or later, the ground is going to swallow these cruel people, too.

Thu Ri Ya Burma Wrote:

02/06/2009

Just before the opening ceremony of the Shwedagon Pagoda replica near Pyinmana, seven people died when a ferris wheel collapsed. Now, 20 people have died. All these events were related with one family. Is this true coincidence? Or, is really something wrong? Or, are Burmese superstitious?

Zaw Zin Wrote:

02/06/2009

This is bad sign for Burma. One good astrologer in Burma is also saying some significant nmuber of soldiers will die in their sleep, especially those involved in killing monks and the people. This will happen soon without being killed by anyone. Let's see what happens. Anyhow. it's sure that Than Shwe is now in real bad shape.

Ye Zaw Min Wrote:

02/06/2009

The pagoda should have collapsed over the heads of Than Shwe and his stupid brothers-in-laws by flying over the sky. It would make everyone happy, including our real soldiers. It makes sense that those family members will surely go to hell and will never come back again to good lives. All Gods, help us that this happens!

Jeg Wrote:

01/06/2009

Well, Kyaing Kyaing is still alive, she is lucky but 20 innocents have perished.

Either; 1) the Buddhas were to be taken to Naypyidaw or 2) the Gods are sending their message and 3) Abbot U Thumingla's prediction that the Junta would "be swallowed by the earth fissure shortly" is pretty close to becoming true.