Mudslide Kills Man In Remote Mae Hong Son Village
A mudslide crushed a hut in a remote Mae Hong Son rice field, killing a 56-year-old man who couldn't escape in time; heavy rains also triggered multiple landslides that cut off six villages and stranded farmers and teachers.
Authorities in Mae Hao subdistrict, Mae Sai district, Mae Hong Son province received notice from the victim's wife that at 11 a.m. on August 20 a mudslide came down and crushed a hut in a rice field. The 56-year-old man was unable to escape in time and died at the hut in Baan Mae Suwan Noi, Moo 12, Mae Hao subdistrict. His wife managed to flee the hut and walked back to the village to report the incident to the village headman and alert rescue workers from the subdistrict administration, health clinic, and police. At 2 p.m., officials descended to inspect the site, which was approximately 2 kilometers from the village in a deep ravine, and retrieved the body by 4 p.m.
Suratchai Chopsamboonsok, secretary of the Mae Hao subdistrict administration, revealed that heavy rain caused the road through the back section of the administrative area to be completely cut off. Landslides have blocked the route in multiple places, making it impassable for all vehicles. Six villages—Moo 5 Mae Chang, Moo 6 Dong Khu, Moo 7 Dong Luang, Moo 8 Hui Pla Gang, Moo 9 Hui Pang Pha, and Moo 11 Khun Wong—are now isolated.
Local farmers preparing cabbage for sale cannot transport their agricultural products, risking severe crop losses if the road remains closed. Teachers at the local school are also unable to leave the area. The lack of electricity and communications infrastructure is hampering coordination efforts. Mae Hao subdistrict administrator Wicha Prasert announced that tomorrow the subdistrict will coordinate with local residents to use machinery to urgently reopen the roads affected by heavy rain, flooding, and landslides.
