Related News
Flooding in Thailand kills 11, strands thousands of tourists
Source: Agencies |
March 30, 2011, Wednesday
|
Online Edition
Online Edition
SEVERE flooding in southern Thailand has killed 11 people and stranded thousands of tourists on resort islands, authorities said today, predicting more rain and issuing warnings for possible mudslides.
Nearly a million people have been affected by more than a week of unseasonably heavy downpours across the region with tens of thousands of families cut off from air and land transport.
Trains to the region have been cancelled and three airports have been shut, including one on the resort island of Koh Samui which is popular among Thai and foreign tourists.
Several main roads and highways have been blocked by floods.
The Thai navy sent four vessels including an amphibious landing craft with on-board helicopters to the rubber-rich region to deliver supplies and rescue tourists and villagers in areas severely hit.
"The army and the navy are working together to help those stranded and evacuate others who live in areas at risk of a mudslide," Satit Wongnongtoey, a minister in the prime minister's office, told Reuters.
"More rain is expected in the next few days."
The flooding, however, has had little impact on rubber production in region which produces around 90 percent of Thailand's annual production of around 3.2 million tons.
No shipment delays have been reported. Farmers stopped tapping trees for rubber in late February in anticipation of normally dry weather at this time of year.
"Not much rubber is carried by trucks to be shipped from Bangkok's ports. Most of it is shipped in bulk down to Malaysia's Penang port," said a trader at Thailand's Hat Yai rubber centre.
Nearly a million people have been affected by more than a week of unseasonably heavy downpours across the region with tens of thousands of families cut off from air and land transport.
Trains to the region have been cancelled and three airports have been shut, including one on the resort island of Koh Samui which is popular among Thai and foreign tourists.
Several main roads and highways have been blocked by floods.
The Thai navy sent four vessels including an amphibious landing craft with on-board helicopters to the rubber-rich region to deliver supplies and rescue tourists and villagers in areas severely hit.
"The army and the navy are working together to help those stranded and evacuate others who live in areas at risk of a mudslide," Satit Wongnongtoey, a minister in the prime minister's office, told Reuters.
"More rain is expected in the next few days."
The flooding, however, has had little impact on rubber production in region which produces around 90 percent of Thailand's annual production of around 3.2 million tons.
No shipment delays have been reported. Farmers stopped tapping trees for rubber in late February in anticipation of normally dry weather at this time of year.
"Not much rubber is carried by trucks to be shipped from Bangkok's ports. Most of it is shipped in bulk down to Malaysia's Penang port," said a trader at Thailand's Hat Yai rubber centre.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
