BANGKOK, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Two people have been killed and more than 30,000 others affected by flooding and landslides in Thailand's northern Nan province, authorities said on Thursday, as forecasters warned of further heavy rain.
According to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), flooding since Tuesday has hit four districts of the province, with 30,313 people across 99 villages affected.
Heavy rain since Wednesday has triggered landslides and left some roads impassable, with farmland inundated. Water levels were stable as of early Thursday, the department said, and a full damage assessment was still underway.
The Thai Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rain across upper Thailand through Friday, warning of possible flash floods from mountain runoff and mudslides in affected areas.
In a statement, the DDPM said it has deployed a disaster-relief helicopter for evacuations and dispatched equipment, including flat-bottomed boats, water pumps, high-clearance vehicles, evacuee transport vehicles, and 10 jet skis, along with 5,000 survival kits.
Additionally, 12 temporary shelters have been opened, and two field kitchens run by army units have been set up at the district offices in Pua and Tha Wang Pha.
The Nan Provincial Administrative Organization said it was stockpiling medicine, preparing temporary steel bridges to replace severed road links, and drawing on vocational college teams from the education ministry for house repairs. ■