9 People Drown in Northeastern Thailand as Flooding Continues

BANGKOK, August 9 (TNA) - Heavy downpours continue to devastate several northeastern provinces while nine people have drowned in Nakhon Phanom province bordering Laos. Officials said the water level in Mekong River is still critical at approximately 11 metres, about one metre reaching the dangerous level as the water would overflow its banks and inundate houses in Nakhon Phanom provincial seat while the situation would worsen because of the water runoff from the North. The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation office in Nakhon Phanom has announced that rain which has continued about three weeks had already affected 169 villages while more than 6,000 agriculturists were affected after over 60,000 rai of their farmland were under floodwater. Nine people were found drowned in the province, it said. In nearby Sakon Nakhon province, water overflowed the banks of several canals and damaged a large area of farmland. Officials initially estimated that over 80,000 rai of farmland is affected. Officials said more than 50 houses were inundated following a heavy rain several hours in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Phimai district. Several roads are also under floodwater. Although flooding situation in the southern province of Trang has improved, more than 300 houses in the provincial seat and Wang Wiset district are still inundated. Some villagers had to move their valuable effects to a Buddhist temple for temporary period. The situation in Krabi resort province on the coast of the Andaman Sea also looked grim. More than 20 houses plus 100 rai of farmland were affected by the flooding, officials said, adding that the floodwater level had receded by early Sunday. (TNA)