Tourist dies after huge blaze destroys Myanmar landmark hotel
A tourist from Japan has died after a major blaze completely gutted one of Myanmar’s most iconic colonial era hotels.
The cause of the overnight blaze at the luxury Kandawgyi Palace Hotel in Yangon is still unclear.
About 140 guests were evacuated safely although one tourist from Macau was injured and taken to hospital.
Htay Lwin, of the hotel’s parent company Htoo Group said an investigation hasn’t yet ascertained the cause of the blaze.
Guests have been relocated at other hotels in Yangon, which is Myanmar’s largest city.
Hundreds of fire fighters tried to quell the blaze for several hours but were unable to save the lakefront hotel.
The hotel was largely constructed of teak wood and was a major landmark in the city and popular with tourists.
Parts of the Kandawgyi Palace date back to the 1930s when it was a popular haunt for British Army officers who then used it as a rowing club.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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