Rescue teams have not been able to find seven people who were washed away during a mudslide in Mae La Oon Karen (Kayin) refugee camp in Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand on Sunday evening, the Karen Refugee Committee (KRC) chair Saw Robert Htwe said.
“We still haven’t found seven people who were washed away. We found a body yesterday. Among 16 injured people, 11 people have been admitted to the hospital and the remaining five are seeking medical treatment at home. Thirteen homes have been washed away and two churches have been damaged,” said Saw Robert Htwe.
Although there is no stream at the flood site, heavy rain caused landslide and flooding and the mud water started flowing suddenly so the camp faced losses, he continued.
Although landslides occur in Mae La Oon refugee camp every year, the camp has never faced a life-threatening situation before, according to Saw Pwe Doh from the KRC office in Mae Sariang.
“Four women and three men are missing. We are still searching for their bodies. Many rescue teams are searching for them,” said Saw Pwe Doh.
The flood-affected victims have lost all of their household items, food supplies, and clothes so the camp’s officials and non-governmental organizations visited them on September 17.
Among 13 wards in Mae La Oon refugee camp, which is located on a hill and a cliff, the flooding took place in Ward 1. According to statistics from the Border Consortium (TBC), the camp was opened in 2004 and it houses over 9,000 refugees.
Majority of the refugees are ethnic Karen people who took shelter in Thailand after fleeing from the civil war.
