Landslides in northern Thailand kill seven; houses, roads damaged

BANGKOK: Landslides in northern Thailand, triggered by days of heavy downpours, killed seven people on Saturday and left one missing, an official said.

All of the victims lived in the mountainous district of Bo Kluea in Nan province, where the landslides have also caused damage to houses and roads, Prasit Dussadeewong, a district security official, told Reuters.

“It’s because of nearly two weeks of heavy rains. We’ve warned people of such landslides but did not expect they would be this big,” he said.

Landslides and flooding in Thailand usually occur during the May-November rainy season.

Widespread floods in 2011 killed more than 900 people and caused major disruption to industry and dented economic growth.