"During a press conference at U Aye Zan’s office in Mawlamyine, the chief minister said the bodies of 64 villagers and eight other people have been recovered so far and that search efforts are continuing. Asked if the site of the disaster would be declared a danger zone, he said, “Not at the moment.” Declaring the site a danger zone would require people in nearby villages to evacuate their homes. U Aye Zan said the landslide is believed to have been caused by the record-high rainfall of 76.6 centimetres that fell in the area over two days. The water saturated the slopes of a hill called Ma Latt locally, causing it to collapse. Currently, permission is being sought from the central government to conduct further investigations around the site where the landslide occurred, and geologists will arrive in the coming days, he said, adding that experts from Nay Pyi Taw will be taking aerial photos and videos of the site using drones for analysis, he said. “Experts from Nay Pyi Taw will come to do analysis. It is too early to say whether the area is suitable to be inhabited or not. It is not a matter that can be decided in one or two days,” he told journalists, adding that houses will be built for all those affected by the natural disaster..."