Seven Myanmar migrant workers were killed and about ten others have gone missing after the houses in which they were living were hit by landslide, following heavy rain this morning in Phuket.
Officials of the Kusoltham Phuket Foundation told Thai PBS this afternoon that four bodies, two men and two women, have been recovered, while efforts are underway to find three others who are believed to be buried under tons of mud.
Dozens of Myanmar nationals were living in a row of houses in Patak Soi 2, in Karon sub-district of Mueang district, when a large bank of mud from a nearby mountain slid into the houses, leaving them half-buried.
Thirty emergency workers and municipal officials rushed to the rescue and searched for the missing people. The foundation official said that the road access to the houses was blocked by mud, huge rocks and fallen trees, making it difficult for heavy machinery to reach the area. He admitted that this landslide is the worst he has ever encountered.
Flooding is reported in several areas of Phuket, such as in the Mae Somchit market, the road access to the Phra Yai Buddha image in Chalongsook village, the West Chao Fah Road, the East Chao Fah Road and a Land and House housing estate.
Meanwhile, in the northern province of Phrae, overflows from the Yom River, compounded by runoffs from Wiang Sa district of Nan province, poured into the downtown area of Mueang district at about 1am this morning.
Many shopkeepers were caught off-guard by the rapid arrival of the floodwater at night, leaving them unable to move their goods and other valuables to higher ground in time.
All roads in the Mueang district are flooded and roads to and from other districts are impassable due to the high level of floodwater. The flood relief centre has also been moved to a new location.
Anuwat Wongwan, the mayor of Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO), issued a letter of apology to the people today, claiming that the flood mitigation committee had under-estimated the flood threat.
Food, drinking water and other necessities have been distributed to people marooned in their houses. Troops from a barracks in Den Chai district have been despatched to help flood victims.
The swollen Yom River is flowing through Soong Men, Den Chai, Long and Wang Chin districts towards Sukhothai province, large areas of which are also under water.
