Chiang Mai landslide kills six, injures three
Village headman and two young children confirmed among the dead, as search and rescue mission comes to an end
Six people died and three others were injured in a landslide at Ban Doi Laem village in Chiang Mai’s Mae Ai district.
District chief Salinya Khamphakaew on Wednesday evening ordered emergency repairs to the road leading to the village which had been cut off by the landslide caused by continued heavy rains.
With passage restored, military and provincial officers started looking for signs of survivors from the landslide. Six bodies were found when the search concluded on Thursday morning. Among them were Theerayuth Siriwansathit, village headman, and two children aged 4 years and five months.
The bodies have been picked up by the deceased’s families to arrange funeral rites while the injured have been sent to a nearby hospital for treatment, an official said.
The official added that the heavy rains have caused the Kok River to overflow and flood surrounding communities in Mae Ai district. Affected areas include villages in Tha Ton, Mae Na Wang and Mae Ai subdistricts.
Noppharat Suphakijkosol, chief of Fang District, said on Wednesday that the Fang River, which is a branch of Kok River, has overflowed and flooded 33 villages in four subdistricts, affecting some 3,000 households.
The district has yet to estimate the extent of damages as floodwaters are currently too high for vehicles to navigate through affected areas, he said.
