Total of B107 million now available to help rebuild damaged community in Narathiwat
PUBLISHED : 11 Aug 2023 at 18:15
The prime minister has approved an additional allocation of 64 million baht to help victims of the fireworks warehouse explosion last month in Narathiwat, a spokesman said on Friday.
The latest grant brings the total awarded to the victims of the July 29 incident to 107 million baht, said Anucha Nakhasai, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister’s Office who chaired a meeting of disaster relief fund board.
The funds will be spent on rebuilding or repairing victims’ houses as well as on providing other necessary aid, he said.
Caretaker Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha last week visited the stricken community in Sungai Kolok district of Narathiwat and assured residents that financial support was being expedited. He also asked his office to consider whether to grant additional funds.
The blast killed 12 people and injured 389, while three schools were destroyed and 682 houses damaged.
Sompong Nakul, 42, and his wife Piyanuch Puengwirawat, 42, the owners of the illegal warehouse, surrendered to police after returning from Malaysia last Saturday.
The couple were initially charged with negligence causing deaths, importing and/or selling fireworks without a permit and violating the Emergency Decree in the southern region.