The 13th body of a victim of a mudslide that buried houses in Tambon Karon, Amphoe Mueang, Phuket Province has been found. Relatives have taken the body for religious rites amid grief, while locals have called for an investigation into the construction of the Big Buddha temple, located on the Nakkerd mountain range.
The families of the 13 deceased have come to claim the bodies for religious rites amid grief over the loss. Meanwhile, locals in Karon District today called on authorities to investigate the construction of the Big Buddha Temple, located on the Nak Kerd mountain range, as they suspect that the cause of the severe land slide may have been the adjustment of the once fertile Nak Kerd mountain national forest reserve.
While the chairman of the Phra Yai Foundation came out to clarify through the Thai News Agency, admitting regret for the incident that occurred, confirming that the construction of the large Buddha statue on the Nagakerd mountain range in the national forest reserve area had been lega
lly permitted by the Royal Forest Department.
A mudslide from the Naga mountain range buried houses on the plains at the foot of the mountain, resulting in the deaths of 13 people, including 2 Thais, 9 Burmese, and 2 Russians.
The incident occurred in the early morning of August 23. Until now, all officers have stopped the search after the last missing person was found this afternoon, a Myanmar woman. Relatives who were waiting for the search cried hard when they found out that their loved one had gone forever. Of the three missing persons found today, two were found in a rented house near where the Russian body was found earlier. Rescue workers said that when they found the bodies of the two deceased, a man and a woman, they were hugging each other, holding flashlights and mobile phones in their hands. Another body was found in a rented house built below, about 300 meters from where the land slid down.
The owner of a rental house that was completely destroyed by a mudslide and in which two tenants died in
side the house, a Russian man tearfully said that he was very sorry for what happened. This incident left him penniless because he had used all his life savings to build a rental house.
However, he said that the incident was not unexpected because 10 years ago, he had seen traces of a landslide at this point during the construction of a temple on the Nakkerd mountain range and had always been worried that a serious incident like this might happen one day.
Mr. Chatcha Thaiset, Deputy Minister of Interior, who today traveled to monitor the situation and give encouragement to disaster victims at the temporary shelter, where today the Third Naval Area Command brought a royal kitchen vehicle to prepare three meals for disaster victims, has ordered the Phuket Governor to urgently inspect the construction of the Big Buddha Temple building on the Nak Kerd mountain range, as requested by local residents.
Mr. Trin Thipmongkol, a member of the Karon Municipality Council, told Thai News Agency that the Nagakerd mounta
in range used to be very fertile. However, after the area was developed and the construction of buildings was carried out, the condition of the area changed significantly. He believes that this was one of the main causes of the natural disaster that occurred this time.
The Thai News Agency team went up to inspect the Big Buddha Temple, located on the Nak Kerd mountain range, to see for themselves where the slide originated. They found that along the route up the Nak Kerd mountain range, there were various structures lined up on both sides, including restaurants and elephant camps. The Big Buddha Temple is located on the very top of Nak Kerd Mountain, and is currently a famous tourist attraction in Phuket. Tourists often travel up to pay homage to the large Buddha statue on the mountaintop, known as Phra Phuttha Ming Mongkol Ekanakkiri.
The news team also asked for details from Mr. Suporn Vanichkul, the president of the Big Buddha Temple Foundation, who admitted that he felt sorry for the incident that occur
red after locals noted that the temple construction was the cause of the landslide that buried people’s homes, resulting in 13 deaths. He stated that he was ready to resolve the issue with government agencies to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
As for the photographs that were recorded showing that the slide occurred on top of the Big Buddha Temple, it is initially believed to be the area of ??the meditation building. However, the chairman of the Big Buddha Temple Foundation confirmed that the construction of the Buddha statue and various buildings on the Nak Kerd mountain range was carried out in accordance with the law. The area is in the Nak Kerd mountain range national forest reserve, but permission was received from the Royal Forest Department to proceed with the construction in 2002, covering a total area of ??42 rai. He also confirmed that the current construction has not encroached beyond what was requested in any way.
The mudslide incident has affected a wide area of ??people in the
area. The latest report from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation shows that 209 households in 3 sub-districts and 9 villages have been affected, with the worst hit being in Village 2, Tambon Karon, where 19 people were injured and 13 died.
Source: Thai News Agency