Thailand’s southeastern coast on alert for storm

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BANGKOK, Dec 26 – Several provinces on the southeastern coast near the Gulf of Thailand are warned of heavy rainfall, flash floods, landslides and strong offshore wind until next week, the Meteorological Department announced.

Meteorological department deputy director general Somchai Baimuang said tropical storm Wukong forecast to strike the Philippines from Friday through Monday will cause downpours from Surat Thani to Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla, Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala.

Residents are instructed to be on alert for flash floods and landslides, and winds over the Gulf of Thailand will be extremely strong, he said.

Group Captain Somsak Kaosuwan, director of the National Disaster Warning Centre, called on residents to check weather reports before travelling during the New Year’s holidays.

The Interior Ministry was instructed by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to closely monitor flood-prone provinces and immediately dispatch rescue workers to assist the public if needed.