Chiang Mai city wall collapses after heavy rain

CHIANG MAI: Part of the historic wall in this northern city has crumbled after the surrounding soil absorbed rainfall for several days, as weather forecasters issued a storm watch across the country from Tuesday.

A section of the wall at Chang Phuak Gate at the moat in Muang district collapsed on Sunday and Therdsak Yenjura, the director of the archaeological conservation office, attributed the cause to soil that absorbed too much water from rainfall.

The collapsed sector was built in 1957 to replace the earlier outer part of the ancient wall that surrounded the central area of the city.

Workers were checking the walls by all the ancient gates to ensure public safety.

Rain has blanketed the northern province over the past few days - and in the weeks before - and the Meteorological Department expected more rain and thunderstorms in Chiang Mai throughout the week.

A woman walks on a road damaged by a mudslide in Si Satchanalai district of Sukhothai on Sunday. (Photo: Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department)

The weather agency has issued a storm alert for most parts of the country between Tuesday and Thursday as Super Typhoon Noru is expected to reach the Vietnamese coast during the period.

Its landfall in Vietnam would send rain, gusty winds and some downpours into provinces in the northern, northeastern, central and eastern regions, the Metrological Department warned.

The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said on Sunday about 52 provinces, most of them in the northern and northeastern regions, would be affected by the impact of the powerful typhoon that could also cause flash floods and runoff.

Many provinces were already affected by flooding due to unusually persistent, heavy rain during this wet season.

The typhoon was expected to arrive on Luzon island in the Philippines later on Sunday.