Heavy rains last week set off the mudslides near the Big Buddha, a popular tourist destination in the south of the country, said Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat.
Besides the Russians, nine of the dead were migrant workers from Myanmar and the other two were Thais, Sophon said
About 20 people were injured and 209 households were affected by the mudslide.
A major cleanup is under way, the governor said, adding that the authorities were getting in touch with relatives and embassies of the victims.A landslide caused by heavy rain on the popular Thai resort island of Phuket has killed five people, police said Friday.
A Russian couple on vacation were among the dead, local police chief Khundech Na Nongkhai told AFP, adding that officers were working to identify the other victims.
“Heavy rain which began at 2:00 am (0700 GMT) last night caused a landslide that damaged homes. Those living in the area were caught off guard,” Khundech said.
He said the landslide slammed into a residential area of the island, where hotels and rented apartments are located.
Thailand has been struck by heavy monsoon rains over the last week, largely affecting the country’s southern coast and areas in the north.
The resultant flooding has killed five people over the past month and injured 32 others, according to the health ministry.
In Phuket, military personnel, volunteer groups and police have been deployed to find any other victims, but forecast heavy rain could hamper the operation, Khundech said.
While Thailand experiences annual monsoon rains, man-made climate change is causing more intense weather patterns that can make destructive floods more likely.
Widespread flooding across Thailand in 2011 killed more than 500 people and damaged millions of homes around the country.
