Aileen Tan calls for help after niece gets stuck on villa rooftop during Phuket floods

Aileen Tan's niece and her friends had to climb onto the rooftop of their villa in Phuket, Thailand, for safety as downpours caused flash flooding in the early hours of Friday (Aug 23).

The 57-year-old Singaporean actress posted a now-deleted Instagram Story pleading for help, sharing her niece Samantha's Airbnb address and asking her followers for prayers as Samantha was stuck in the flood.

She also shared a video of Samantha from the rooftop, showing the flooded street.

Around noon, Aileen updated her Instagram Story to say that Samantha and her friends were safe.

"Sorry for making everyone panic," Samantha conveyed through her aunt. "We finally got off the roof and brought our friend to the nearby clinic.

"The panic really set in when the water rushed into the room and the furniture lifted off the ground."

She added that she had been stuck on the roof in the rain since around 4am.

Aileen told Lianhe Zaobao that Samantha's friend had to seek medical attention as he accidentally cut himself while retrieving their passports from the room. He was under observation at a hospital and should be able to return to Singapore in a few days.

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"At 4 or 5am, I didn't know what to do, [so I posted the Instagram Stories] to see if I could find help," the actress told 8world.

"Now everyone is safe, my niece wants me to take down the post as she doesn't want to cause worry."

The heavy rains also led to landslides in Phuket, reported Bangkok Post. As of Friday evening, 10 people - including 8 tourists - were killed and over 50 houses had been damaged.

drimac@asiaone.com