At Least Six Dead In Thai Floods

[george]

At least six dead in Thai floods

BANGKOK - Floods in Thailand have killed at least six people and damaged tens of thousands of homes, officials said on Sunday.

Those killed in the floods, in the south of the country, included two Singaporeans.

Authorities said floods in many parts of southern Thailand had started to recede, but the Meteorological Department said that more heavy downpours could come in the next few days.

Four of the deaths were reported in Chumphon, Songkhla, Surat Thani, and Narathiwas provinces. A Singaporean school principal, Tan Shook Fund, and her five-year-old son drowned in strong currents in the Thai resort province of Krabi last Thursday.

More than 40,000 homes have been hit by floods since last week, forcing authorities to close some roads and launch rescue operations.

An official said full casualty figures and cost estimates of the damage to crops and infrastructure would be released next week.

Authorities resumed normal rail services this weekend after suspending them in some parts of the south for a few days last week.

--Reuters 2003-12-14