NARATHIWAT: Some Muno villagers whose houses were destroyed by a fireworks warehouse explosion in Sungai Kolok district's tambon Muno on July 29 will file a civil lawsuit against the building's owners.
The blast killed 12 people and injured 389, destroying three schools and damaging 682 homes.
Soldiers, local volunteers, administrative officials and authorities from various related agencies were sent to provide help to the victims and repair houses that were at least 50% damaged.
So far, about 302 houses have been repaired, said the Narathiwat Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office. About 95 houses are yet to be rebuilt after they were destroyed by the explosion, it said.
However, a group of 25 people whose houses were destroyed is planning to file a civil lawsuit against warehouse owners Sompong Nakul, 42, and his wife Piyanuch Puengwirawat, 42.
They were arrested on Aug 6 and charged with negligence causing deaths, importing and/or selling fireworks without a permit and violating the Emergency Decree for the Southern region.
Nifairus Samankunwong, one of the house owners, on Sunday told reporters that he never thought such an incident would happen.
He said he insured the house after the area was flooded three years ago, but when the explosion happened, his insurance company refused to cover the damages in full.
"My house is worth 4.5 million baht but the maximum I will receive from the insurance company is 2.9 million baht, while the government offers maximum compensation at 230,000 baht per house," he said.
"But I may get less compensation from the government because they want to allocate some money to those who do not have house insurance," he added. "I did not cause the damage and what happened to me is not fair."
According to a source, the overall compensation being provided to Muno villagers affected by the incident is less than 30% of their property values.
Villagers whose houses have not yet been repaired must rent temporary rooms for shelter.
The provincial Social Development Department provides 3,000 baht per month to 85 families to help them pay for rent. It estimates that it will take about a year to rebuild the houses in the area.