The Meteorological Department issued an announcement this morning confirming that tropical storm Pa Buk packed with 75 kph wind at its epic-centre would make landfall in Nakhon Si Thammarat province tonight.

The department director-general Phuwiang Prakhammin said that the major tropical storm was located at about 200 kms to the southwest of Nakhon Si Thammarat at about 4 am today and is moving westward slightly to the north at a speed of 25 kph.

The storm is expected to make a landfall in Nakhon Si Thammarat tonight and this will cause widespread heavy up to very heavy rain which may result in flash flood, he said but did not give the specific location that the storm will land.

However, Samroeng Saengphuwong, deputy secretary-general of the Office of National Water Resources said Thursday night that Pa Buk had changed direction at about 6 pm by heading further southward and would make landfall in between Ranod district of Songkhla province and Sichon district of Nakhon Si Thammarat province at noon today and the wind speed was expected to drop below 95 kph.

Meanwhile, the Energy Ministry said Thursday that more than 2,600 staff members working on the offshore oil rigs of PTT Exploration and Production Pcl and other oil exploration companies had already been evacuated to the mainland for their safety, leaving behind only 246 essential officials.

The Royal Thai Navy’s first and only aircraft carrier, Chakri Narubaet,  which had docked at the Sattahip naval base for quite a long time has left its base today with the HMS Ang Thong troop carrier and another ship for rescue and relief operations at the order of Navy commander-in-chief Admiral Luechai Rootdit.

The three ships are carrying four helicopters, maritime aquatic life support team and naval disaster assessment team and search team.

The ships will take about 15 hours to reach their destination in Nakhon Si Thammarat where the storm is expected to make landfall tonight.