A tornado ripped through parts of Rangoon on Thursday, killing three people, injuring at least five and destroying about 90 houses.

The worst hit area was South Dagon Township, where more than 1,000 trees were uprooted and around 500 houses lost their roofs, a government official told The Irrawaddy, on condition of anonymity. Telephone lines and power cables had been brought down by the storm, disrupting communications and electricity supplies.

State-run newspaper The New Light of Myanmar, which reported only one death, describes the tornado as a “strong wind” and said that, apart from South Dagon Township, it had ravaged the townships of Thingangyun, Botahtaung, Kyauktada, Lanmadaw and Dala. A government official said Hlaing Thar Yar Industrial Zone had also been hit, and a relief center was being established in a primary school there.

A cyclone storm hit the area of Sittwe in western Arakan State in mid-May, killing at least 14 people and destroying around 2,000 houses. More than 10,000 people were affected by that storm.