Sixteen people have died due to mudslides and floods in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai provinces, with 136 others injured, according to Dr. Opart Karnkawinpong, permanent secretary of public health.
Chiang Rai was the hardest hit, with ten fatalities, 133 injuries, and over 24,000 households affected by floods in Mae Sai, Mae Chan, Mueang, and Mae Fah Luang districts. Although five local hospitals were impacted, they have since resumed normal operations.
In Chiang Mai’s Mae Ai and Fang districts, the floods affected 2,978 households. Six people lost their lives, three were injured, and one hospital in Ban Tha Makaeng remains closed.
Dr. Opart also reported that 417 medical personnel were affected by the flooding in both provinces. In response, the Ministry of Public Health deployed 167 medical teams, with 52 in Chiang Mai and 115 in Chiang Rai. They have treated 1,662 victims and provided mental health support to 784 people.
Most of the victims suffered from exposure to contaminated water, with symptoms affecting their respiratory, muscular, and skeletal systems. No flood-related infectious diseases have been detected so far.
Meanwhile, in Nong Khai province, where the Mekong River’s rising waters have inundated several districts, Nong Khai and Si Chiang Mai hospitals are limiting services to emergency cases. Floodwater has made access difficult, and the Ministry of Transport is sending boats and trucks to assist.
Nong Khai’s public relations office reported that the Mekong River is now about half a meter above the banks and continues to rise. Electricity has been cut in some areas of Mueang municipality for safety reasons.
The Royal Irrigation Department has urged residents in riverside communities in Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, and Nakhon Phanom provinces to stay alert, as more rain is expected in the coming days.
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