Kilometre-long Sinkhole Opens In Kra Buri River

[george]

Kilometre-long sinkhole opens in Kra Buri River

RANONG: -- A one-kilometre-wide sinkhole appeared on Thursday evening in the Kra Buri River in Ranong’s Muang district, damaging oyster beds and causing cracks in a nearby house, local officials said yesterday.

Paisal Inthuthon, head of the tambon Rai Daeng administration, said villagers had told him a sinkhole had appeared in the river at Ban Hin Dard, about 60 metres from the bank. Floating oyster beds owned by about sixty farmers were damaged, and a villager’s house suffered cracks.

Charoon Klinphaka, whose house was cracked by the sinkhole, said that late on Thursday night he had found the damage everywhere, with windows broken and a wall at an angle. Charoon said the whole neighbourhood was scared and he was worried that another sinkhole might occur and totally destroy his house.

Lerdsin Raksasakulwong, director of the administration’s geology office, said that the sinkhole was possibly due to the December 26 earthquake which triggered the tsunami that killed thousands of people.