MAE HONG SON, Thailand – Heavy rainfall triggered flash floods across northern Thailand, severely damaging infrastructure in Mae Hong Son province and forcing emergency responses along the border in Chiang Rai province. In Mae Hong Son, intense downpours recorded at 76.2 millimeters sent torrents of runoff into the provincial seat and surrounding villages, inundating at least 20 homes. The surging water collapsed half a lane of a bypass road and swept away heavy construction machinery. Local authorities temporarily cordoned off damaged roadways while weather officials warned of additional rainfall expected between Sept. 8 and Sept. 13.
Further east in Chiang Rai, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation office issued a Cell Broadcast emergency alert at 9:04 a.m. following rising water levels in the Sai River. At the Thailand-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, fast-moving, debris-laden runoff nearly reached bridge deck level, prompting local officials to advise residents in low-lying areas to move valuables to higher ground.
Municipal workers and military personnel were deployed to reinforce river barriers with large sandbags after floodwaters breached a partially dismantled barrier near a commercial complex. (TNA)
