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Only
weeks after completing a multi million dollar refurbishment and upgrade,
the Sofitel Magic Lagoon in Khao Lak, near Phuket, has been wrecked. Even
in November the hotel was clambering to finish work to its pool areas
and beach side restaurants in time for the peak holiday season that
takes place over Christmas and the New Year. Today 70% of the
hotel has been destroyed with the water reaching up to the top of
the second floor rooms.
One
of the largest hotels in Khao Lak, the Sofitel was very popular with
tourists from around the world but especially, the French, Germans and
travellers from Australia. When the Tsunami struck, the hotel was almost full, with many people sunning themselves on the shoreline or
enjoying breakfast in the newly renovated beach front restaurant.
A
spokesperson for Accor Asia Pacific said at the time the unimaginable
disaster struck the hotel, there were a total of 415 registered guests and 320 staff. Since then the hotel has accounted for 202 guests of which
163 have been safely repatriated with the other 39 presumed to have left
Khao Lak by their own means. Of the staff only 221 of the 320 staff were
at work today (Wednesday) and the hotel is now still trying to find the
remaining staff and guests.
See
other recent news from:
Khao
Lak, Tsunami
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