Tropical storms wreak havoc in Chiang Mai, Sa Kaew, Nakhon Phanom
Tropical storms wreaked havoc near Chiang Mai’s Mon Jam mountain and in many parts of Sa Kaew and Nakhon Phanom provinces in the Northeast on Saturday, officials said.
Many houses at the foot of the mountain in Chiang Mai’s Mae Rim district were damaged by heavy hail and rain. The village was also plunged in darkness from a blackout for several hours, officials said.
Provincial officials visited the community on Sunday morning and found many houses and shops on the mountainside were damaged.
The weather bureau expects tropical storms, possibly with hail, to continue lashing upper Thailand until Wednesday. This is mainly due to a clash of cool weather mass from China and hot weather mass in Thailand.
The Chiang Mai provincial administration said tropical storms hit several other areas as well, including Samoeng, Chom Thong and Hot districts, though the authorities still have to receive reports on damages.
Meanwhile, in Sa Kaew, tropical storms hit several villages in Muang, Khao Chakan and Watthana Nakhon districts among others.
In Muang district, 72 houses in six villages were damaged and a Buddhist monk sustained injuries, officials said.
The storms also damaged the provincial hall and uprooted several trees that are now blocking many roads.
In Nakhon Phanom, storms lashed several areas on Saturday, including That Phanom and Renu Nakhon districts, officials said.
Some 100 houses in Renu Nakhon and over 70 in That Phanom were damaged. Some villages also suffered a blackout on Saturday night after strong winds knocked over several power poles.
Officials were dispatched to survey the damage and help villagers on Sunday.
In Renu Nakhon’s Na Ngam subdistrict, locals said lightning struck and killed three buffaloes, forcing the owner to sell the corpses off cheaply for meat.
