Los turistas se marchan indignados de Koh Samui. Koh Phangan y Koh Tao

Un apagón que dura ya tres días está pruduciendo colas en todos los medios de transportes de estas islas, por parte de turistas indignados.

Three Thai Islands Leave Tourists In The Dark

A two-day blackout on Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao islands caused fed-up tourists to crowd their airports and boat harbors trying to leave. Maintenance problems by the electric company caused the blackout, which likely cost the tourism industry millions of THB in lost business.

SURAT THANI – December 5, 2012 [PDN]: at 10 a.m., an emergency meeting was called with related organizations by Surat Thani provincial governor Mr. Chatpong Chatputh, to deal with the extended blackout on Koh Samui and Koh Phangan islands.

Later at 2 p.m., Mr. Chatpong was scheduled to travel by helicopter to inspect the incident point where the blackout originated, and will coordinate efforts to fix the damage.

The electricity blackout on Koh Samui was caused by an underground cable line at the connection point of Amphur Koh Samui that had short circuited. The electric company was rushing to repair the damage.

However, work crews were waiting for equipment to be delivered from the provincial electricity authority in Nakornsrithammarat province. The equipment is expected to arrive at Koh Samui today.

There was some confusion in many areas in Koh Samui when the blackout lasted more than 24 hours. Businesses were scrambling to buy petrol at the petrol pumps, to use for the generators to generate electricity to service the tourists.

But there was not enough petrol on the island for everyone. The Koh Samui airport was jammed with more than 1,000 tourists trying to leave. Incoming flights also had to be canceled, costing the tour companies business.

The islands of Koh Phangan and Koh Tao were also hit by the same blackout. But the effects were more severe than at Koh Samui, because of the greater distance of the islands from the mainland. Many tourists tried to leave by boats. There were also a lot of tour cancellations.

The damage from the blackout to the tourism industries has been estimated as high as hundreds of millions of THB.

Fuente: Pattaya Daily News