Latest toll: 66 dead, 691 injured

PHUKET: Kawee Sukunthamath, Chief of the Phuket Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM), early this evening said that 66 people were confirmed dead by the tidal wave which ravaged Phuket’s coastline this morning. Of the dead, 20 were foreigners. Another 691 people were reported injured, and 22 more were missing.

Phuket International Airport resumed normal inbound and outbound flight services at about 5 pm this afternoon, after debris left strewn across the runway by the tsunami was cleared off.

Traffic onto and off the island has been redirected over Tao Thepkrasattri Bridge, as the older Sarasin Bridge will remain closed until the government is confident that Phuket is no longer in danger of being hit by a second wave.

In the meantime, many coastal residents have moved inland, fearful that another wave might strike the island.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is expected to arrive in Phuket at about 7:30 pm, to inspect the damage and speak to people suffering from the wave’s devastation.

People concerned for the welfare of friends and relatives believed to be on or near the coast when the wave hit can call the emergency rescue center at 076-214492 or 01-6432755. For calls from outside Thailand, the numbers are (66 76) 214492 or (66 1) 643 2755.

Local police stations may also be able to help. They can be reached by dialling 191 and asking for the district police station for the area concerned.

If calling from outside Thailand, the number for Phuket Provincial Police Headquarters is Tel: 66 76-212046. Phuket Tourist Police may be reached at Tel: 66 76-355015, if dialing from outside the Kingdom.

Readers may find the list of telephone numbers for some of the embassies in Bangkok useful. The numbers are, to the best of the Gazette‘s knowledge, up-to-date. Expect to hear a recorded message giving another number for the emergency duty officer.

Australia 66(0) 2 287 2680

Belgium 66 (0) 2 679 5454

Canada 66 (0) 2 636 0540

China 66 (0) 2 245 7032-3 or 2 245 7036

Denmark 66 (0) 2 213 2021-5 or 245 7036

Finland 66 (0) 2 256 9306-9

France 66 (06) 2 657 5100

Germany 66 (0) 2 287 9000

Ireland 66 (0) 638 0303

Israel 66 (0) 2 260 4854-9

Italy 66 (0) 2 285 4090-3

Japan 66 (0) 2 252 6151-9

South Korea 66 (0) 2 247 7537

Netherlands 66 (0) 2 254 7701-5

New Zealand 66 (0) 2 254 2530

Norway 66 (0) 2 261 0230-5

Russia 66 (0) 2 234 9824

Singapore 66 (0) 2 286 1434

South Korea 66 (0) 2 247 7537

Spain 66 (0) 2 252 6112

Sweden 66 (0) 2 263 7211 or 2 263 7239

Switzerland 66 (0) 2 253 0156

Taiwan 66 (0) 2 670 0200-1

United Kingdom 66 (0) 2 3058333

USA 66 (0) 2 205 4000

Readers should note that Phuket has experienced many disruptions to both landline phone services and mobile phone networks throughout the day, and may experience difficulty in getting through.