Husband Killed, Wife Survives as Landslide Hits Couple

Picture courtesy of Daily News

A man has died and his wife narrowly escaped after a landslide hit them while they were digging a drainage channel during heavy rain in Tak province early on 25 August.

Rescue workers from the Phetkasem Foundation in Tha Song Yang district were alerted at around 03.30. Police and local officials joined the team at the scene in Ban Mae La Kee, Moo 12, Mae La subdistrict.

They discovered the body of 38-year-old Mr Wicha Pinijacha, a local Karen villager, who had been buried under tonnes of mud. Only one hand was visible above the ground. His body had been carried away by the mudflow and was some distance from the original site. It took rescuers more than six hours to recover his body, digging out with only hand tools.

His wife, Mrs Tita, who survived, told police that continuous heavy rain had begun the previous evening. Fearing that floodwaters would damage their crops, the couple decided to dig a channel to divert the water.

While they were working, a torrent of mud and soil suddenly collapsed down the mountainside, sweeping her husband away. She managed to scramble to safety but was unable to save him.

Authorities have warned villagers in the area to remain on high alert as persistent rain continues to raise the risk of landslides and flash floods.

  Adapted by Asean Now from Daily News 2025-08-26