Eight missing in Narathiwat storm-related landslide; 10 schools close in Hat Yai
NARATHIWAT: -- Eight persons are missing in a landslide in this southern border province as heavy rains continue, causing extensive flooding in the region. Rescue officials are searching for those who were carried away amid incessant rainfall.
Floods impacting southern provinces on the east coast, particularly Songkhla and Narathiwat, caused the temporary closure of 10 schools in Hat Yai district.
Overnight heavy incessant rain in Songkhla province has flooded some areas of its eight districts. In the business district of Hat Yai, forest runoff flooded two municipality areas, disrupting traffic.
Ten schools in outer areas of Hat Yai district closed Friday, while the water level in canals in the provincial seat is rising but has not yet reached a critical level.
Local disaster response chief Wichit Chanpan said government workers are help people affected by flood in eight districts and have closely monitored the water level. The local office of the meteorological department issued a warning for heavy rain and a possible flash flood in the eastern coast of the southern region.
Heavy rain in the southern province of Narathiwat caused three rivers to overflow their banks, flooding low lying areas in three districts.
In Songkhla municipality, high tide flooded roads and a strip of ten shops along the beach. Some shops closed after they were damaged by strong wind and felled trees.
In Nong Bua Lam Phu, children and the elderly living in the mountains fell ill with fever and some people have pneumonia due to the cold weather. The authorities are surveying several villages to provide assistance to villagers.
Chiang Mai deputy governor Pirote Saengphuwong said that the cold spell is likely to be more severe that the previous year. There have been an estimated 633,000 people affected by the cold snap so far, most living on mountainsides in Omkoi district.
The local meteorological office said the lowest temperature in the mountains areas was around 18-21 degrees Celcius.

-- TNA 2009-11-06