The wall of a government high school collapsed after heavy rain, killing five and injuring one in Myanmar.

Footage shows the wreckage of the brick wall littering adjacent shops after it toppled over in Mawlamyine City in Mon State on July 22.

A police officer told local media said: 'The boundary brick wall fell on the shops opened near it, and some people in the shops got trapped under the debris. Three women and two men died on the spot, and one man got injured.'

The wounded survivor has been taken to the hospital, rescuers said.

The collapse was reportedly caused by continuous rains that appeared to have weakened the wall's foundation. A resident said: 'It collapsed once before. At that time, one person died.'

Myanmar and other countries in Southeast Asia such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand are in the middle of their tropical monsoon rainy season, which lasts until October or November. Soaring temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius are often followed by powerful tropical storms with thunder, lightning, rain and flash floods.

Many of the under-developed nations struggle to cope with the heavy rain due to chronic under-investment infrastructure and high levels of corruption funnelling away public funds.

Britain has imposed financial sanctions on Myanmar due to its human rights abuses and failure to tackle money laundering. A number of individuals are targeted for asset seizures.