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Oct 1, 2006
Hundreds of
tourists and residents forced to flee current, bad weather could continue
Mountain torrents triggered a severe flash flood in six villages on the
resort island of Koh Chang yesterday.
Hundreds of tourists and residents were forced to flee
from the strong current, which destroyed a bridge and flooded homes and
resorts with mud and pieces of timber.
The bad weather could continue, as the Meteorology
Department has forecast that Typhoon Xangsane is expected to enter Vietnam
and Thailand today.
The storm would trigger another round of heavy
rainfall, especially in northeastern provinces.
Sleeping tourists were woken up by the flood in the
tourist area of Ban Hat Sai Khao village. It inundated all hotels,
shops, and homes along a three-kilometre road, which was put under 1.5
metres of water.
Officials had to use ropes to take tourists and hotel
staff out of their hotels to safer areas as the strong current turned the
tourist street into a ''canal'' of mud and timber.
In Bang Klong Plu, a bridge was so severely damaged
that cars could not use it. Only motorcycles were allowed to transport
tourists and villagers to the other side, while some had to walk across. The
bridge was temporarily repaired and could be used in the late afternoon,
said Koh Chang sub-district chief Sakprasert Jaroenprasit.
The four other villages hit by the flood were Ban
Klong Son, Ban Chaiyachet, Ban Klong Phrao and Ban Kai Bae. The flood
receded later.
Tour operators said they were still optimistic about
the prospects for tourism, which should not be much affected by the flood.
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