Jakarta, hitclubapk3 Indonesia
—
Flood
bandang in
Thailand
has killed more than 160 people, with the majority of victims in one of the provinces bordering Malaysia.
Water levels reached three meters in Songkhla Province, southern Thailand, killing 162 people in one of Thailand’s worst floods in a decade.
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“The total death toll in seven provinces reached 162 people, including 126 in Songkhla,” said government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat as reported by AFP, Saturday (29/11).
Workers at a hospital in hard-hit Hat Yai moved bodies into refrigerated trucks after the morgue exceeded capacity.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul apologized for the damage caused by the flood.
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“Every time there is loss, death or injury, it is always the prime minister’s fault,” he said Charnvirakul.
“I will use all my skills and dedication to improve the situation,” he added, announcing a two-week timeframe for cleaning up the district.
The Thai government has launched relief measures for those affected by the floods, including compensation of up to two million baht for households who lost family members.
More than 40,000 people have taken refuge in evacuation centers, according to Wanchana Sawasdee, a spokeswoman for the flood operations center, although “some people have returned home.”
As flood waters receded in southern Thailand, shop owner Rachane Remsringam sifted through rubbish strewn among the aisles of her grocery store, lamenting hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.
Public criticism of Thailand’s flood response is growing and two regional officials have been suspended over their alleged failures.
A lawmaker from the opposition People’s Party criticized the government, saying it “misjudged the situation” and made “mistakes in handling the flood crisis”.
The annual rainy season, usually between June and September, often brings heavy rains, triggering landslides and flash floods.
Tropical storms have worsened conditions, and the number of flood victims in Indonesia and Thailand is among the highest in those countries in recent years.
Climate change has affected storm patterns, including the length and intensity of the season, leading to greater rainfall, flash flooding and stronger wind gusts.
“Since I was little until I am 30 years old, this is the worst flood that has ever happened in our village,” said Novia in Aceh.
“There have been floods before… but not like this.”
(afp/chri)
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