Heavy rains trigger fatal flooding in southern Thailand, thousands displaced

Flooding driven by torrential rains has claimed nine lives and displaced over 13,000 people across southern Thailand, officials confirmed on Saturday.

Rescue teams equipped with boats and jet skis are racing to assist residents stranded in inundated areas.

Local footage shows communities grappling with chest-deep floodwaters and vehicles submerged in urban streets. The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department reported that the flooding has affected over half a million households across eight provinces.

Temporary shelters have been established in schools and temples to accommodate evacuees. However, concerns over dwindling food supplies are rising

The incident has forced two hospitals in Pattani province to suspend operations to protect medical facilities from flood damage.

Neighboring Malaysia is also grappling with the aftermath of relentless rains, which have displaced at least 80,000 people and resulted in four deaths this week.

Thailand’s Meteorological Department has issued warnings of “very heavy rain” likely to persist in the south into next week. The government has allocated 50 million baht ($1.7 million) in relief funds for each affected province and deployed rescue teams to expedite recovery efforts.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra vowed to “restore normalcy as quickly as possible” in a statement on social media.

While Thailand experiences seasonal monsoons, scientists attribute increasingly severe weather patterns to climate change, exacerbating the risk and impact of flooding. The current disaster echoes the devastating floods of 2011, which claimed over 500 lives and displaced millions.