Heavy rainfall hits Thailand’s northeastern and eastern regions

BANGKOK, Oct 7 (TNA) - As tropical storm Gaemi is now hitting Cambodia, several Thai northeast and eastern provinces are already feeling the impact following a heavy rainfall in the regions late Saturday, officials said. Officials in the lower northern province of Phitsanulok are busy clearing a highway covered by soil due to landslide in an attempt to open the road for traffic. The landslide occurred after the heavy rainfall due to the influence of Gaemi, expected to weaken into a depression and enter Thailand on Sunday night in Sa Kaeo province bordering Cambodia. In the central Uthai Thani province, officials said tropical storm Gaemi has not yet affected the province as a dam there still has a capacity to take in about 58 million cubic metres of rainfall. But the situation in the southern province of Songkhla, near the Thai-Malaysian border, is gruesome after fishermen of more than 50 trawlers returned ashore as waves were as high as three metres while the sea was windy. The Meteorological Department office in the South has issued a warning to fishermen to better stay ashore and urged people to be on alert for the tropical storm. According to the latest announcement issued by the Meteorological Department, the tropical storm Gaemi was moving westward at about 20 kilometres per hour and is expected to weaken into depression. It is forecast to move from Cambodia and enter Sa Kaeo province Sunday night. The Department said it would bring heavy rain in several provinces. (TNA)