The death toll from heavy flooding in southern Thailand has risen to 40, the government said yesterday, with thousands of people forced to live in temporary shelters.
More than a week of heavy rain — in what is usually one of the hottest months — has caused floods in 10 of Thailand’s 77 provinces, submerging homes, triggering landslides, and washing away roads and bridges.
As of yesterday, the death toll stood at 17 in hard-hit Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, 10 in Surat Thani Province, seven in Krabi Province, and two in each of Phatthalung, Chumphon and Trang provinces, the Thai department of disaster prevention and mitigation said.
VILLAGE SWAMPED
A mudslide swamped at least one whole village in Khao Phanom district, Krabi Province.
Bad weather last week stranded thousands on islands in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, prompting the government to send in the navy to rescue people from Koh Tao and Koh Phangan, where food and water was running low.
AIR LINKS OPEN
Ferry and air links have since resumed to most Thai holiday areas.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday called for people to be on alert for any new flood or mudslide warnings, saying that while the rains have eased, waterlogged soil remains a concern.
“People should cooperate with the authorities when there are warnings. Do not think it will never happen,” he said in his weekly television program, speaking live from flood-stricken Surat Thani Province.
ASSISTANCE
He said the government would discuss assistance for people affected by the floods at a Cabinet meeting today.
The new disaster comes just months after devastating flooding across Thailand late last year that left more than 200 people dead.
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