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In the serene farmlands of Chiang Mai, an evening that began with the tranquil tasks of farm life ended in tragedy, as a ferocious explosion tore through a longan plantation in the Phrao district, altering lives and landscapes in its wake. A concoction intended to coax the trees into bloom became a deadly snare for those who mixed it.
The calm of the countryside was shattered as the startling blast claimed the lives of two diligent women—one Thai national and her counterpart from Myanmar. They were enveloped by the destruction instantaneously. But the grim reaper was not yet satisfied, and as the night crept in, it claimed the life of a third soul, a man, also hailing from Myanmar, succumbing to his grievous wounds hours after the calamity had struck.
The epicenter of this catastrophic incident lay nestled amidst the green arms of a longan orchard, in the heart of an isolated structure, some 500 meters away from the nearest signs of a rural community. Ban Chai Ngam village, of tambon Mae Waen, became an unintended testament to the dangers lurking in agricultural practices as the workers sought to enhance nature’s will with 75 kilograms of potassium chlorate conspiring with 50 kilograms of urea—a mixture rich in promise yet toiled with risk.
Amidst the idyllic setting, the very ingredients that were calculated to bring forth the bounty of nature transformed in a merciless twist, reducing the building to rubble and rendering two parked vehicles unrecognizably damaged, a ghostly echo of their former utility.
This was not the first brush with such volatile devastation in the region; a memory stirs of a similar, powerful explosion that rocked the grounds of the San Patong district back in 1999. A reminder that the quiet work of farmers can carry unspeakable perils, and that even the humblest of chores can cascade into turmoil without a whisper of warning.
The tragedy at the longan orchard of Phrao is a mournful ballad to the perils that lace the pursuit of agricultural abundance. It reminds us that beneath the veneer of pastoral tranquility, the forces of nature—when invoked by human hands—can unfurl with unfathomable fury, demanding respect and caution as we seek to harness their power.
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