One missing after waterways overflow into Mae Hong Son villages

A villager went missing and is believed to have drowned after strong currents from overflowing streams swept through several villages in the Mueang district of Thailand’s northernmost province of Mae Hong Son following heavy rain Friday night.

The famous Su Tong Pae bamboo bridge, a popular tourist attraction, was also heavily damaged by the currents, making it impassable.

Ruangrit Pholdee, the chief of the public disaster prevention and mitigation office in Mae Hong Son, said today (Saturday) that a search has been launched to try to locate the missing villager from Ban Huai Pha.

Five villagers were reported to be stranded in the Tham Pla-Namtok Pha Suea National Park, but they have now been evacuated to safety.

Many rice farms have sustained heavy damage and numerous utility poles along Highway 1095 have collapsed.

The Su Tong Pae bamboo bridge stretches for 500 metres across…