Heavy downpours damage property in Phuket

PHUKET: Heavy rain and strong winds caused a large tree to fall over and damage houses in Chalong this week, causing about 100,000 baht worth of damage.

“The incident occurred at Soi Bangre, Moo 1 at about 2pm on Wednesday. A fallen tree, about 70cm in diameter, wrecked the wall of a guesthouse and damaged another house and a car parked nearby,” said Supawatakan Kunlak of Chalong Municipality.

A staff member at the guesthouse told police that no one was injured.

Municipality workers spent an hour clearing up the clutter. The owner of the guesthouse and the tree said that he would ‘partially’ compensate the others whose property was damaged.

Officials warned the public to ‘be careful’ during the monsoon season.

“The rainy season has arrived, so please be extra cautious when the weather is rough. If you see any trees that look dangerously unstable, please inform the local authorities. If possible, do not park your car underneath or near such trees in order to avoid similar incidents in the future,” said Mr Supawatakan sagely.

— Winai Sarot