Tourists hunker down as Storm Pabuk batters Thailand
- Meteorologists say Pabuk, the first tropical storm in decades to strike during the peak holiday season, made landfall in southern Thailand on Friday
Tourists marooned on Thai islands hunkered down on Friday as Tropical Storm Pabuk struck the kingdom, forcing airports and ferries to close and bringing power blackouts, heavy rains and massive sea swells.
Boats were recalled to shore across the Gulf of Thailand, while two key airports – Koh Samui and Nakhon Si Thammarat – were shut until Saturday, leaving tourists who remained on the islands cut off.
Meteorologists said Pabuk, the first tropical storm in decades to strike during the peak holiday season, made landfall in southern Thailand on Friday afternoon.
“Ten thousand tourists are still on Koh Phangan,” said Krikkrai Songthanee, district chief of the island which neighbours Samui and is famed for its full-moon parties.
“But I talked to [some of them] last night and they are not scared, they understand the situation.”
The eye of the storm passed over Nakhon Si Thammarat, sparing the tourist islands of Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao to the north from a direct hit.
