Two found dead as cold spell moves in

A cold spell is believed to have caused the death of a widow in Chon Buri and a man in Trat yesterday, while Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son have been declared disaster zones as temperatures plunge in the provinces.

Suna Chandadal, 49, was found dead inside a makeshift house at a coconut planation in Chon Buri's Sattahip district yesterday, with her 13-year-old son crying and hugging her body.

The boy, identified only as Ae, told police that his mother woke up early yesterday and had a cough as the weather was very cold. She died later in the morning, Ae said.

The boy and his mother lived on a land plot of a local leader after his father died from a chronic illness last year.

In Trat, Narinsak Khamwisut, 36, was found dead inside his house in tambon Wang Krajae in Muang district about 11.30am. 

He was believed to have died four to five hours before his body was found by his mother Wandee Chana-in. There were no traces of a struggle.

Witnesses said the victim had been drinking with friends in front of his house before he went to bed at 10pm. The victim fell asleep in his shorts without covering up with a blanket.

Police suspected a heart failure or cold weather might caused his death.

The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation yesterday declared Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son provinces disaster zones as residents in more than 400 villages have been affected by cold spells.

The cooler weather has hit a total of 431 villages in seven districts in the two northern provinces. Of the affected districts, six are in Chiang Mai.

The temperature on Doi Inthanon, the country's highest peak, dropped to 4C yesterday, with mae khaning (frost) found in mountainous areas.

Kriangsak Thanomphan, chief of the Doi Inthanon National Park, said thousands of visitors flocked to Doi Inthanon daily to view frost.

Temperatures at the Umphang and Thung Yai Nareusuan wildlife sanctuaries in Tak province plunged to 6C yesterday.

In Nakhon Phanom temperatures dropped to 9C yesterday. A sharp drop in the temperatures caused some 40 dogs out of hundreds recently rescued from dog traders by authorities to fall ill, said Pairat Prathumwan, chief of Nakhon Phanom livestock office.

A fund set up to help rescued dogs has recently provided about 200,000 baht to build a shelter, he said.

Of all the dogs saved from illegal trafficking to date, 721 have survived while 581 have died and 285 have been adopted as pets, an official said.

The Meteorological Department yesterday predicted temperatures in the North, Northeast, East and the Central regions, including Bangkok and surrounding provinces, would fall further by 1-3 degrees Celsius from today.

The department also forecast heavy rainfall in provinces along the southern coast from Nakhon Si Thammarat southwards as the northern monsoon covers the South and the Gulf of Thailand. 

In Chumphon, waves as high as 3m destroyed an embankment in Lang Suan district yesterday, causing seawater to flood about 40 houses at Ban Hua Laem village.