Officials provide assistance to quake victims

CHIANG RAI, May 11 (TNA) - Relief officials have moved in heavy machinery and provided assistance to Monday (May 5)’s quake victims in the northernmost province of Chiang Rai by repairing their homes which were destroyed by the 6.3-magnitude quake. Officials of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation are using heavy machinery in removing debris and helped the victims in repairing houses in a village of Mae Lao district. More than 2,000 houses were damaged by the strong quake which hit the province on May 5. Officials said their ongoing assistance is not smooth as nine aftershocks have already occurred since early Sunday (May 11) and the jolt could be felt in three districts. They feared the jot could inflict more damages to buildings in those areas. Latest damages estimated by officials showed that about 8,500 homes, 99 temples, seven churches, 46 schools, a university, five government offices, four bridges and five roads were damaged by the quake in Chiang Rai.(TNA)