Elderly woman killed as summer storms bring down power poles

A fierce summer storm killed a 74-year-old woman in Chainat and caused major damage to electricity infrastructure in Chainat and Nakhon Pathom, with the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) rushing to restore power in affected areas.

On Tuesday evening (May 5), Mueang Chainat Police Station was alerted to a storm that had brought down a large number of power poles, including one that fell onto a motorcycle and caused a fatality on Phahonyothin Road, along the Chainat-Takhli route, in Moo 3, Suea Hok subdistrict, Mueang district, Chainat.

Police, rescue workers and a doctor from Jainad Narendra Hospital went to the scene, where they found more than 30 power poles lying across the road and blocking traffic on the inbound side of Mueang Chainat. The incident also caused a power outage along the route.

The body of the victim, identified as Thawon, 74, a resident of Suea Hok subdistrict in Mueang Chainat district, was found at the scene. She died after a power pole fell onto her motorcycle.

An initial investigation found that the victim had been riding back from Takhli district in Nakhon Sawan, which borders Chainat, after delivering food to her elder sister.

On her way home, thunderstorms and strong gusts hit the area, causing more than 30 power poles near the Ban Mi intersection in Takhli district to collapse along a stretch of more than one kilometre.

The victim was passing through the area on her motorcycle when one of the poles fell onto her. She was only about two to three kilometres from home.

The victim’s son said he had spoken to his mother by phone after the storm began. He said he had asked her why she wanted to go out, especially as the roof of her own house had already been blown away by the wind.

He said he had repeatedly warned her not to leave home, but she was worried about her elder sister and often took food to her. When he realised the situation was worsening, he went out to look for her, only to find that she had already died.

PEA rushes to restore power after summer storms

Earlier on Monday (May 4), the PEA reported that the incident along Phahonyothin Road in Moo 3, near the Takhli-Ban Mi intersection, had caused a widespread power outage affecting Mueang and Sapphaya districts in Chainat, as well as parts of Takhli and Chong Khae districts in Nakhon Sawan.

After the storm, the PEA in Chainat and the PEA branch in Takhli district, Nakhon Sawan, deployed teams, equipment and specialised vehicles to remove the fallen poles blocking traffic, inspect the damage and isolate parts of the power distribution system so electricity could be restored quickly to areas not directly affected.

Meanwhile, the PEA also reported progress in Nakhon Pathom after a summer storm brought down 18 transmission poles, damaging the electricity system and causing a power outage in Bang Luang subdistrict, Bang Len district.

The PEA said it had mobilised staff, equipment and specialised vehicles to carry out urgent repair and restoration work. It also set up a coordination centre to manage the emergency response and speed up the restoration of the damaged transmission system.

The authority said public and worker safety remained its priority as it worked to restore electricity to users as quickly as possible.

Members of the public who see broken power lines, fallen poles or damaged electrical equipment are advised not to go near them. Incidents can be reported to the PEA Contact Centre at 1129, available 24 hours a day.