A man believed to be South Korean went missing after being swept away by floodwaters near the Thai resort city of Pattaya. Two men who were with him left the scene immediately after the accident and have not been located, prompting local police to search for the missing man while trying to identify the others.
Only One of Two Who Fell Into Drain Escaped; Search Continues
According to Thai media outlet The Pattaya News and other reports on the 27th, three men were walking along a flooded road in the Nong Prue area near Pattaya in the central province of Chonburi at about 5 a.m. on the 24th when one of them fell into a drainage ditch and was carried off by the current.
Nearby closed-circuit television footage captured the scene. Two of the men walking along the road fell into a roadside drain, and while one climbed back onto the road, the other was swept away by the strong current and disappeared.
More than an hour of torrential rain had fallen across the Pattaya area at the time, leaving parts of the city center under water.
Local authorities deployed divers and searched the drain where the accident occurred as well as nearby waterways, but no trace of the missing man has been found.
Police believe the missing man may be South Korean and are working to confirm his identity. The two other men who were with him at the time left the scene without contacting authorities, and their whereabouts have not been confirmed, according to reports.
On the 25th, the day after the accident, police searched a house about one kilometer from the scene believed to be where the men were living. Inside, they found wet clothing closely resembling what the two men in the CCTV footage were wearing, along with household goods.
Computer equipment, including three PC sets that appeared to be new, was also found. Police have seized the equipment and are investigating its origin and intended use.
The owner of the house told police that three South Korean men had signed a one-year lease and moved in on the 12th. Police are working with immigration authorities to determine whether they are the same men captured on the CCTV footage, while also tracking the whereabouts of the two who fled the scene.
Bangkok Hit by 300 Millimeters of Rain in 48 Hours; All 50 Districts Declared Disaster Areas
Heavy rain has caused damage not only in Pattaya but in several other parts of Thailand, including Bangkok. About 300 millimeters of rain fell across the Bangkok area over roughly 48 hours beginning on the 24th, submerging homes, buildings and roads and halting traffic.
As of the 26th, more than 84,000 people in 21 Thai provinces had been affected by flooding. Businesses also suspended operations, with the state-run Government Savings Bank closing some branches in Bangkok and surrounding areas.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt issued a statement on the afternoon of the 26th declaring all 50 districts of the capital disaster areas because of the flooding. Authorities set up more than 200 shelters at temples, schools and other sites, housing about 4,200 displaced residents.
The city is also running its drainage pumps at full capacity to limit flood damage. Chadchart said the pumps are removing a combined 1,200 cubic meters of water per second.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who had been scheduled to return from Britain on the 27th, said on Facebook that he would move up his return and visit the affected areas. The Thai Meteorological Department forecast heavy rain across most of the country through the 27th.
