Residents Evacuated As Roi Et Reservoir Bursts

Residents evacuated as Roi Et reservoir bursts

ROI ET: -- Residents of the north-eastern town of Roi Et were hurriedly evacuated today after a local reservoir developed a 50 metre-long crack.

The evacuation was ordered by Roi Et Governor Nopporn Chantrathong in the early hours of this morning after the provincial irrigation office warned that the Nong Ya Ma reservoir in tambon Rob Muang was beginning to collapse.

By the early hours of this morning, water from the reservoir had already flooded 10 villages in Thung Khao Luang district, and was rushing towards the Chi River.

Volunteers and local leaders rushed to cope with the crisis, and by 02.00hrs were bringing in flat-bottomed boats to evacuate local residents, their animals and belongings. Over 100 troops armed with sandbags meanwhile carried out emergency repair work on the reservoir, but the strength of the water meant that initial efforts were largely futile.

However, the evacuation proved successful, with no reports of deaths or injuries from the flooding.

-- TNA 2004-07-29