Devastating floods hitting parts of southern Thailand have killed nine people and affected more than 550,000 residents.
Authorities said it was the worst natural disaster to hit some areas in two decades.
The situation remains critical, as heavy rainfall is forecast until December 6.
See: End of cold snap in Thailand, but heavy rains in the south
According to the November 30 report of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, the floods affected eight provinces:
Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Trang, Satun, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.
The disaster spread to 78 districts, affecting 515 subdistricts and 3,552 villages.
Aerial view showing residential areas submerged by floods in Hat Yai district of Songkhla province, November 29, 2024. Photo: NBT Songkhla, Government Public Relations Department.
The death toll currently stands at nine, with casualties reported from Phatthalung (1), Songkhla (3), Pattani (3), Yala (1) and Narathiwat (1).
Authorities are still verifying these figures.
The department's director general, Pasakorn Boonyalak, said water levels continued to rise in several areas.
The government has set up 200 temporary shelters in four provinces, Narathiwat, Yala, Pattani and Songkhla, which are currently hosting more than 13,000 evacuees.
Road damaged by landslides in Yala province after several days of intense rain, photographed on November 30, 2024.
In response to the crisis, His Majesty King Rama
The Secretary General of the National Water Resources Board, Mr. Surasee Kittimonton, has warned that high pressure systems from China, combined with easterly winds, will bring continued rainfall to the region from 2 to 6 December.
This will particularly affect the three southernmost provinces, Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani.
To deal with this emergency, the government has significantly increased disaster relief funding from 20 million to 70 million baht for each of the six worst-affected provinces:
Songkhla, Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat.
Floods also hit Malaysia, which is preparing for the worst
Residents walk on a flooded street after heavy monsoon rains in downtown Kota Bharu, Malaysia on Friday, November 29, 2024. Photo: AP/Loo Kok Chong.
The flooding crisis extends beyond Thailand's borders, with neighboring Malaysia also experiencing severe flooding.
Malaysia's National Disaster Command Center online portal said on Friday that 94,778 people, from more than 28,000 families across nine states, had been evacuated to 527 temporary shelters.
The state of Kelantan, in the northeast of the country and bordering Thailand, was the worst affected, with 63,761 people evacuated from their homes, followed by the neighboring state of Terengganu, with 22,511 people evacuated.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, deputy to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim who is leading the disaster response, said on Thursday that this year's floods were expected to be worse than those in 2014, when more than 250,000 people were displaced and 21 killed.
He was quoted by local media as saying that weather forecasts indicated that heavy rainfall next month would likely affect more states.
See also:
Floods devastate four provinces in southern Thailand
Winter in Thailand won't be as cold as expected this year
Thailand has officially entered winter which will last 4 months
Source : Khaosod English
