8 dead and 10 injured in Phuket landslide

TORRENTIAL RAIN that lashed Phuket all of last night till this morning (Aug. 22-23) triggered a landslide in Karon subdistrict killing eight people, among them a Russian couple, at four damaged houses and villas, TV Channel 7 and Amarin TV said this afternoon.

Ten others have been injured while rescuers are searching for a few more missing residents with the heavy overnight downpour reaching 200 millimetres.

Details that emerged at 1.45 p.m. are as follows:

– Soi Patak 2 a dead female’s body was found;

– Soi Patak 8 another body of a dead female was found;

– Soi Patak 8 four bodies were found two male and two female;

– Soi Patak 8 the bodies of a Russian man and a Russian woman were found.

Of the eight people who died three were men and five women.

Amarin TV had reported that a Myanmar couple and their child were among those who died.

Ms. Traisuli Traisarankul, secretary to Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakil, confirmed that eight persons had died after the torrential rain led to floods and triggered this landslide with officials and rescuers searching for more people.

Anutin is closely following the rescue operation because there are a lot of Thais living and working there and the island is also an important tourist destination.

Importance is being given to providing weather updates and alerting the public about risky tourist spots.

Karon subdistrict Disaster Prevention and Mitigation officials were at the scene of the destruction to monitor the situation and provide assistance. Village headmen were told to immediately help those affected and promptly inform the provincial authorities. A fast-moving unit has set up a command centre in cooperation with Karon municipality officials at Wat Kata.

Aside from ordering Disaster Prevention and Mitigation officials to quickly help people in the zone hit by this landslide, Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat also ordered the Provincial Electricity Authority to cut power to this zone for safety. Phuket officials have taken machinery there to assist the people.

CAPTION:

The houses and villas damaged by the landslide in Phuket. Photos on this page: Amarin TV, photo on Front Page: Naewna