  We present a detailed analysis of a recent $500$ ks net exposure
\textit{Suzaku} observation, carried out in 2013, of the nearby ($z=0.184$)
luminous (L$_{\rm bol}\sim10^{47}$ erg s$^{-1}$) quasar PDS 456 in which the
X-ray flux was unusually low. The short term X-ray spectral variability has
been interpreted in terms of variable absorption and/or intrinsic continuum
changes. In the former scenario, the spectral variability is due to variable
covering factors of two regions of partially covering absorbers. We find that
these absorbers are characterised by an outflow velocity comparable to that of
the highly ionised wind, i.e. $\sim0.25$ c, at the $99.9\%$ $(3.26\sigma)$
confidence level. This suggests that the partially absorbing clouds may be the
denser clumpy part of the inhomogeneous wind. Following an obscuration event we
obtained a direct estimate of the size of the X-ray emitting region, to be not
larger than $20~R_{\rm g}$ in PDS 456.
