NAKHON RATCHASIMA: A wind farm executive and his driver survived with minor injuries on Saturday when their sport utility vehicle plunged off a road washed away by floods that ravaged Sikhiu district.
The Mitsubishi Pajero with Bangkok licence plates was travelling on Road No.3059 from Huai Sai to Huai Bong in tambon Kritsana when it plunged off the damaged road section at around 4am on Saturday.
The road was cut off for a distance of 15 metres during heavy rains that triggered floods and runoff in Sikhiu and two nearby districts in the early hours of Saturday.
The two men in the vehicle, one of them an executive of a wind farm in Dan Khun Thot district, managed to escape from the overturned SUV, which was stuck in deep mud. They sustained minor injuries. No other details were available on their identities.
Local officials set up barriers and signs to warn motorists to use alternative routes. Rescue workers were sent to salvage the vehicle after floodwaters receded.
Many houses and farms in Sikhiu, Dan Khun Thot and Theparak districts were hit by floods and mountain runoff after hours of downpours that pounded the areas from late Friday night to early Saturday. Floodwaters are now starting to recede.
Nakhon Ratchasima governor Wichian Chantharanothai ordered chiefs of the floood-hit districts to survey damage and provide assistance to affected residents. He also ordered local authorities to speed up the repairs to damaged roads.
Motorcyclists inspect a washed-out road in Sikhiu district of Nakhon Ratchasima on Saturday. (Photo by Prasit Tangprasert)