Continuous heavy rainfall triggered a severe landslide and knocked down utility poles in Mae Hong Son’s Sop Moei district early Friday morning, cutting off Highway 108, the main route between Mae Sariang and Chiang Mai, and leaving over 100 vehicles stranded in both directions.
Sop Moei District Chief Khamphan Mokthaisong received a report at 7.19am regarding the blockage near the entrance to Mae Lai Nuea Temple, close to the Baan Huai Kung checkpoint in Pa Pong sub-district. The falling debris and power poles completely obstructed traffic, making the road impassable.
Preliminary inspections have revealed that this marks the third landslide in the same location, as prolonged downpours saturated the mountain soil. The softened earth could no longer hold the weight of trees and utility poles, causing a massive slide onto and across the highway.
A rescue unit of Volunteer Defense Corps (OS) members was dispatched, along with highway officials and partner agencies, equipped with heavy machinery to clear the debris and reopen the route as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, the rising water in the Yuam River overflowed its banks at 4.44am, causing severe flooding in low-lying areas of Mae Sariang district.
Mae Sariang District Chief Worasak Panthong inspected Baan Pha Mo Lo in Baan Kat sub-district, where the water level in the river surged to 1.15 metres above the weir crest, 25 centimetres above the critical warning threshold of 4.5 metres.
The overflow inundated residential homes in Baan Pha Mo Lo, parts of Baan Nong Pa Khaem, and several riverside shops.
The disaster extended further into Pa Pae sub-district, where persistent heavy rain since August 20 has sparked flash floods and multiple landslides.
A school building at Baan Mae Um Pok School in Moo 12 was damaged by a mudslide, while seven separate landslides blocked access roads to the community.
Downed utility poles also obstructed rural roads MS.3010 and MS.3011. Local residents and the Pa Pae Tambon (sub-district) Administrative Organisation (TAO) cleared paths for motorcycles, while the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) removed the fallen poles. Relief operations faced immense obstacles, though, due to widespread power outages and a total lack of telecommunication signals in the affected areas.
Worasak instructed local leaders, village headmen and local administrative bodies to maintain round-the-clock surveillance on weather conditions and water levels. Volunteer Defense Corps units and rescue teams remain at high readiness to assist with immediate evacuations, as water levels are projected to rise further.
