Flood crisis in far South
Floods continued to wreak havoc in the country's deep South yesterday, causing at least one death, with several people missing, and forcing 70 local schools to close.

In Yala, Romla Deemadee, 35, and her brother, Samaae Deemadee, 30, were watching floodwater in front of their house in Raman district when the fast current suddenly swept them away. Romla was drowned and her body was found near her home. Samaae, meanwhile, was still missing.

Jimmin sae Jun, a 55yearold resident in Betong district, was also reported missing. He was swept away by a torrent of runoff from higher ground while using a toilet in his house. Mingkuan sae Eung said he heard children crying out loud in fear and saw many people run for their lives. It was the most horrific moment in his life. "At about 1.30am, I heard trees up in the forest shaking and crumbling. Then, my house shuddered and soon red water was rushing down the moun?tain, damaging houses all around and sweeping away so many people. "I have lived here for decades but I never saw any such thing like it," he said.

Following the drama, more than 1,000 rescue workers, police and military officers rushed to Village 2 in Tambon Tanoh Maeroh where Mingkuan lived. "We are extending assistance and taking injured victims to hospitals," said Olarn Binlasan, a senior official at Betong District Office. The flooding made local roads impassable. Rescue workers and officials had to use boats to reach flood victims. As of press time, the sky over Yala remained cloudy, heightening fears that fresh floods would soon hit.

In nearby Narathiwat, flood?waters were rising dangerous?ly. In some spots, the water level was more than two metres. "We have officially ordered 25 schools to close because of flooding," said Prasit Nookoong, head of Narathiwat Educational Service Area I Office. "Many more schools are also too flooded to conduct classes as normal". Ban Na Yong School direc?tor Kreetha Daengdee said con?tinuous heavy downpours left his school under two metres of water. "Even though we had moved our documents and equipment to higher places, they were damaged because the flood lev?els were higher than we expect?ed," he said, adding that many other schools suffered the same fate. The Narathiwat Educational Service Area II Office ordered the temporary closure of 42 schools, while three schools in the Narathiwat Educational Service Area III suspended classes temporarily in the face of rising floodwater.

Many houses were under water and evacuations were reported in Sungai Kolok and Waeng districts.

In Sukhirin district, a land?slide from a local mountain brought down several electric?ity poles and severed telephone lines. Narathiwat Governor Karan Supakijwilekkarn ordered officials to immediately clear piles of earth and rocks from local roads.

Relief packs were also being provided to flood victims.

_{The Nation}