Blackout causes thousands to leave Samui, Pha Ngan Resort Islands

SURATTHANI, December 5 (TNA) - Less than a thousand tourists remained on Koh Samui and Pa Ngan Islands in Surat Thani Province, following a major blackout since Tuesday. Provincial electricity officials said maintenance would begin Wednesday afternoon, and power supply would return before midnight the same day. Surat Thani governor Chatpong Chatphuti said the incident was unprecedented and had severely impacted local tourism, which normally catered up to 20,000 tourists. The power cut comes after an explosion involving an underground power cable linking Kanom district, Nakhon Si Thammarat province with Baan Pang Ga sub-district of Samui, which occurred on Tuesday morning. (TNA)