Storm hits Trang, uprooted tree traps bedridden woman in her home

As storms lashed the district of Kantang in the southern Trang province last night, emergency services were called to rescue a 78 year old bedridden woman and her family. The disastrous weather resulted in a 100 year old banyan tree falling on their residence and trapping them inside. The rescue operation was coordinated with local authorities under the leadership of the Mayor of Kantang.

Emergency service personnel and the Kantang district’s rescue unit promptly rushed to offer aid to Thavorn Sankhong, a 78 year old woman who was trapped within her dwelling at 40/18 Rod Fai Road, Kantang, Trang. Trapped alongside her were her spouse and daughter. The entrance was blocked by debris and branches from the fallen tree, and the team had to struggle to reach the family. Katang Mayor Soranon Chirochmontri commanded operations at the scene, which was densely populated and had multiple houses in proximity.

The large tree, uprooted by the violent storm, collapsed onto several houses and an electric pole, resulting in several hanging electric wires. Local electricity authorities were rushed to disconnect the power supply, as it posed a threat to rescuers and inhabitants. It took approximately 30 minutes, but they managed to safely evacuate the terrified elderly woman who, besides being wheelchair-bound, is also completely blind. She, her spouse and her daughter were luckily not injured.

Subsequently, the family was assisted to relocate, temporarily dwelling at another home nearby.

Upon further exploration, another neighbouring house that had been gifted as a royal grant, numbered 9801, had sustained considerable damage. Two inhabitants of this house, a 25 year old woman and a 70 year old woman, a grandmother and granddaughter respectively, sustained injuries to their heads due to the damaged building’s debris and were urgently rushed to Kantang Hospital, reported KhaoSod.

Orapin Sae-Kow, the 43 year old daughter of the bedridden elderly woman, said…

“We were alerted when the rain started to pour heavily, followed by an aggressive storm. Not long after, we heard the sound of the large tree crashing into our house, destroying it and turning off the electricity instantly. My bedridden mother, father, and I were stuck inside as the house debris, and tree branches blocked our exit.”

Mayor Soranon said…

“The severe windstorm resulted in significant damage to approximately ten points within the city. However, the heaviest damage was caused in this neighbourhood, predominantly due to the presence of a bedridden individual. Despite the significant time taken to safely extract the individual, primarily because of the endangering live electric cables, relief was finally provided. An estimation and inspection of the damages will be executed tomorrow.”

This night, the inhabitants must endure the darkness using torches and candles. Their treasured possessions remain stuck within their houses, as the unstable structure presents the risk of collapsing further. At present, the extent of the damage remains to be estimated.