14 Dead In Southern Thai Floods, Over 580,000 Residents Affected

By Mohd Haikal Mohd Isa BANGKOK, Dec 7 (Bernama) -- Flooding in southern Thai provinces which has affected over half a million people, has claimed 14 lives so far, says the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department on Tuesday. Its director-general, Chatchai Promlert said 582,343 people from 212,392 families were affected by the floods which had also caused schools and railway lines to be temporarily closed. "The flood in southern Thai which began on Dec 1, affected 11 provinces, namely Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakorn Si Thammarat, Krabi, Trang, Phattalung, Songkhla, Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Ranong," he said in a statement on Tuesday. However, he said, flood in Krabi, Yala and Narathiwat had eased in recent days while Satun, Phang Nga and Phuket were not affected by any flood woes. Meanwhile at local residence of Kampung Bereh in Pattani, rescue teams with the help of villagers were still trying to locate two 14-year-old boys feared drowned after falling into a drain and swept away by swift currents. Riduan Salleh and Ku Fitri Yaemaso are students of a nearby religious school. According to their friend, Ku Badru Yaemaso, the duo were swept away by heavy currents when one of them tried to assist the other who had slipped and fallen into a water-laden drain while playing. "I will accept whatever is fated by God. He is the eldest of three children whose father died three years ago," said Riduan's mother, Maskah Resak, when met on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Ku Fitri's father, Tuwae Abdullah Yaemaso said he last saw his son about an hour before the incident when both of them briefly met in the house soon after arrival from Malaysia. --BERNAMA