Thailand flood killed 61

The number of people confirmed killed in the devastating floods and mudslides in southern Thailand has soared to 61, Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanavisit said on Friday afternoon.

Nakhon Si Thammarat had the largest number of fatalities (27), followed by Surat Thani (12), Krabi( 10), Phatthalung (6), Chumphon (3), and Trang (2), with one death in Phangnga.

Forty-six of the victims died by drowning, eight in mudslides and two people were electrocuted. Another three were swept away by the flooding and two others died in other flood-related accidents.

Mr Jurin said the water level in the flood-hit southern provinces continues to recede.

However, more than 80,900 people have flood-related illnesses, he said.

The minister said 44 percent of them had sought treatment for colds and 35 percent had foot fungus. Other patients experienced depression, post-traumatic stress or thoughts of suicide.

Medical teams gave stress relief pills to 223 patients and will monitor their condition closely. If theiy do not improve, they will be referred for treatment by psychiatrists of the Mental Health Department, he said.

The ministry had distributed 30,000 medical kits to Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani, and deployed health personnel to inform people in the region about ways to protect themselves from flood-related diseases and infections, such as diarrhoea, leptospirosis, dengue fever, conjunctivitis and malaria.

Meanwhile, the State Railway of Thailand resumed train services between Bangkok and the southern provinces today.


The southern floods had halted train services from Surat Thani and other lower provinces as the rail tracks were submerged.

The SRT said passengers can make ticket reservations for the southern routes on express, rapid and ordinary trains as usual.

For today, passengers in the three southernmost provinces travelling to Bangkok must board trains at Hat Yai junction, as Bangkok-bound trains were starting from this station.

Normal train departures from the three southernmost provinces will resume fully tomorrow.

The flood disaster in the eight southern provinces of Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Surat Thani, Trang, Chumphon, Songkhla, Krabi and Phangnga was brought on by unrelenting storms which began in late March and continued well into April.

Bangkokpost