CHIANG RAI: A landslide struck Mae Fah Luang district following heavy downpours on Saturday night, killing one person.
Kanchit Comphudaeng, chief of Chiang Rai’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), cited a report by local authorities that identified the victim as Ahjay Biakao, 59.
Ahjay, a stateless person, was found by local authorities inside his home, which had collapsed following heavy rain over the weekend.
Downpours over the weekend also caused damage in Mae Chan district, with landslides blocking access to tambon Pa Tung. The rain also caused water levels along the Chan River to rise, inundating many homes in Moo 1 and Moo 3 in the district.
To date, he said, damage has been reported in three tambons and five villages across Mae Fah Luang and Mae Chan district.
Separately, the Meteorological Department is urging people to keep an eye out for the impact of Cyclone Mocha, which is currently moving through Bangladesh and Myanmar.
While the cyclone will weaken before it hits Thailand, it will bring a significant amount of rain and cause waves of up to three metres in the Andaman Sea, the department said on Sunday.
According to a post on his Facebook page on Sunday, Somkuan Tonjan, director of the Central Forecasting Division, said Cyclone Mocha has been labelled by the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC) of New Delhi as a severe cyclonic storm, meaning it has the same severity as a super typhoon.
Meteorological Department deputy director-general Thanasit Iam-ananchai said the summer heat will linger a few more weeks in the kingdom, especially in the North, but temperatures are expected to start dropping in several regions with the onset of the rainy season next week. This year’s precipitation is expected to be 5% lower than last year, he added.