Buriram: The director of the Natural Resources Office in Buriram Province has confirmed that the Khao Kradong volcano did not erupt, contrary to a fortune teller's prediction, following a local's post featuring a clip of a sound resembling boiling water underground.
According to Thai News Agency, the incident began when a mushroom picker shared a video capturing the sound of what seemed to be boiling water beneath the ground in the Khao Kradong Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Mueang District, Buriram Province. The clip prompted widespread speculation and criticism online, as it aligned with an old prediction from a fortune teller who claimed that a volcano in Northeast Thailand might erupt again.
Mr. Wuttichai Pirunsunthon, Director of the Natural Resources and Environment Office of Buriram Province, personally inspected the location where the video was filmed. He explained that the Phu Khao Thong Volcano in Buriram Province is an extinct volcano, dormant for at least 300,000 to 900,000 years. The geological makeup consists of porous igneous rocks that have disintegrated into soil. On May 21, a heavy rainstorm occurred, and the subsequent day, May 22, the mushroom picker recorded the sound of water flowing underground. Mr. Wuttichai clarified that this noise results from water seeping through rock pores and striking cracks, creating the audible underground flow.
Addressing concerns about the sound being indicative of boiling water, Mr. Wuttichai reassured the public that if boiling water were present, the ground would be hot and steam would be visible. He urged citizens not to panic, emphasizing that no earthquakes or volcanic disasters have ever been reported in the Khao Kradong area.
In conversations with local villagers who forage for mushrooms and forest products in Khao Kradong forest, it was revealed that the social media claims about sounds of springs and boiling water are personal interpretations. Regular foragers have never encountered such noises.