Five men and two women from Ban Yang Village in Tambon Mae Ngon were killed, bringing the latest death toll to 39.

At least four people were missing and rescues workers had to search on foot as many parts of the road were flooded in the Doi Angkhang area, deputy district chief Atsadang Buddhawong said.

Nearly 1,000 residents were evacuated from their homes near the end of two reservoirs north of Doi Angkhang, because of concerns that more heavy rain later in the day would burst the small earth reservoirs, which were already at full on Sunday night.

Local officials also evacuated residents from 14 inundated villages around Doi Angkhang to higher ground.

Floods also destroyed four houses and partially ruined at least 40 homes, while a mudslide damaged parts of the food-processing facility at the "Doi Kham" Royal Project. Damage was estimated at Bt50 million, said Saranyu Foowong, a provincial officer from Fang.

More than 5,510 rai of orange and grape orchards in Fang's seven tambons were under one-metre of water and at least 7,000 domestic chickens were swept away, said agriculture promotion official Wisutr Charoenmuangmul.

In Phrao district, a bridge to Wat Doi Mae Pang on the Chiang Mai - Phrao Highway was damaged by floodwaters at 5am. The bridge was expected to be repaired late yesterday.

The northern meteorological office warned that Chiang Mai's Fang, Mae Ai and Chaiya Prakan districts would face extremely heavy rainfall in the next two days and urged residents in flood-prone areas to be alert.

In Phitsanulok, the Nan River reached nine-metres yesterday at 10am and was rising at about five centimetres per hour, threatening to reach the 10-metre critical level for the second time and inundate riverside homes, after the river had reached 10.2 metres late last month.

Phitsanulok public health officials sped up the distribution of medicines, saying some 21,557 residents had suffered skin and respiratory diseases after nearly two-months of stagnant water. Nearly 25 per cent were suffering from stress.

In Sukhothai, the Sri Samrong and Muang districts were still hit by floods that have damaged about 65,000 rai of farmland and affected 5,000 families. The hardest hit areas were under two metres of water, which has forced some residents to camp on the roadside for nearly a month now.

Heavy rain over six days up till last Saturday meant floodwaters could not be drained into the rising Yom River. The river's western side was expected to be flooded for at least a week before the water subsides.

The Nation

CHIANG MAI