Search dogs lead Thai rescuers to flood bodies

Search dogs led rescuers to three bodies buried under mud and two people who had passed out on a hill, starving, days after torrential rains triggered flash floods in northern Thailand, officials said today.

More than 1,000 soldiers and volunteers were using dogs, helicopters and bare hands to search for victims of the devastating flash floods that killed at least 50 people recently.

Work was proceeding slowly however because some areas were only accessible by helicopter.

Teams dug through mud and debris for bodies in Uttaradit province’s hard-hit Tha Pla district, which was devastated by a landslide, said Maj. Lertchai Khaithong, chief of the search and rescue centre in Uttaradit.

“Dogs have helped a lot in the search for bodies and survivors trapped in the jungle,” Lertchai said Friday. “The dogs led rescuers to a couple who had passed out on a hill and had been there for three days, starving.”

He said the couple had scrambled up the hill to escape the flood and had been trapped there for three days before the dogs found them late yesterday. The dogs also helped recover three bodies buried under the mud, he said.

In neighbouring Phrae province, a team of soldiers was led to a dead body in a jungle by a barking dog, said Sgt. Akadej Wannamahachai, one of four soldiers who found the body of Surachai Senakham.

Surachai’s body and his dog Chango were lifted out of the area by helicopters. Local television showed Surachai’s five-year-old daughter rushing to Chango and crying after the dog was rescued.

Meanwhile, 18 psychiatrists were sent to the area to help hundreds of flood victims suffering from stress, said Somchai Chakahan, chief of the government’s mental health department.

About 6,000 flood victims have been admitted to hospital with various illnesses, with about 10 per cent suffering from stress, Somchai said, noting, “Some even think of committing suicide.”

Official Thai rescue agencies say between 48 and 51 people have been confirmed dead and between 66 and 87 are missing from the flooding in Nan, Phrae, Lampang, Sukhothai and Uttaradit provinces, but totals from some local agencies put the number of missing as high as 300.

Officials have been slow to release updated figures because of communication difficulties.

Nine people were pulled to safety yesterday by helicopters after being stuck on a mountaintop for three days at Lablae in the Tha Pla area.

Other people are still stranded in trains. Train services to northern Thailand were cut by the floods, and were expected to resume only this weekend.

The Meteorological Department today issued a warning of possible flash floods and mudslides from new rain expected in the north.