Tourist missing in Phangnga flash flood

June 10, 2012

PHANGNGA, June 10 - Rescue workers are searching for an Egyptian tourist who went missing in a flash flood in Phangnga, while one police volunteer was injured in a storm-related incident in Trang.

The tourist was whitewater rafting in the Klong Songphraek stream and went missing three days ago in the flash flood.

Meanwhile, in the provincial seat of Takua Pa district, the floodwater level remains at one metre deep while residents have moved to the second floor.

In Ranong, local officials of the disaster prevention and mitigation department are fixing a portion of flood-damaged road in Kapoe district with a 20-metre bailey bridge to temporarily help 1,000 local residents not be cut off and be able to transport their farm produce.

The work is expected to finish in one or two days. Soldiers distributed royally-sponsored relief supplies to those affected, but it is still not adequate to meet needs.

In Trang’s provincial seat, the floodwater in Bag Rak subdistrict rose to about one metre, forcing residents to evacuate children and pets by boat and to move their belongings to higher ground.

While the floodwaters at some locations reached two metres deep, some villages reportedly were cut off amid rising water levels.

Meanwhile, heavy rain and strong wind in Na Ta Luang subdistrict felled a large tree on a car and injured a local police volunteer.

In Krabi, heavy rain in the afternoon was reported in Ao Luek and Plai Phraya districts, triggering a mudslide on Krabi-Surat Thani Road in Ao Luek district.

The flash flood also damaged the bridge in a village in Plai Phraya district, causing about 50 households to be cut off. (MCOT online news)

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