Probe to investigate Patong landslide
PATONG: Patong Municipality today set up a special committee to investigate the landslide area along Soi Veerakij [Nanai Rd Soi 9] and determine how many homes in the area are at risk of tumbling down the escarpment left behind by the recent landslide.
Patong Municipality Chief Administrator (Palad) this morning told the Gazette that the villa and five-story apartment block left partially suspended over the precipice remain in place.
“We can see that those two structures are at risk of falling, but only for one does the risk appear imminent. Today we will set up a special committee to survey the area and determine how many other structures are at risk,” he said.
Most of the workers in the workers in the damaged workers’ camp at the base of the escarpment were Thai, not Burmese as previously reported, he said.
“They have already moved to a new site opposite the damaged camp,” he said.
“Not many of them were seriously injured; most were just scratched. We are consulting with engineers about better landslide-prevention strategies in order to prevent more slides and ensure and protect the public,” he said.
“Construction work on the hotel and bungalow project below has been suspended,” he said.
This general consensus among local residents is that landslide was caused by workers at the camp who began removing trees and other vegetation from the hillside, thus destabilizing the slope.
