Record floods hit Thailand
Parts of Thailand face record floods that have killed at least 33 people as authorities deploy military ships and helicopters to support relief efforts. The deluge has battered ten southern provinces for a week. Hat Yai, a key business hub near Malaysia, reports its heaviest rainfall in 300 years with 335 millimetres in one day. Photos show submerged streets and houses while desperate residents wait on rooftops for rescue.
Neighbouring countries face rising devastation
Relentless rain also strikes nearby nations. In Vietnam, the death toll climbs to 98 within a week. In Malaysia, more than 19,000 people evacuate their homes as floodwaters rise.
In Indonesia, at least 19 people die in North Sumatra. At least seven more remain buried under landslides, according to the national rescue agency.
More than two million people in Thailand feel the impact of the floods, but only 13,000 move into shelters.
Military leads emergency response
Most affected communities remain cut off and unable to access help, according to an international news agency. The Thai military takes charge of the crisis and prepares to send an aircraft carrier and 14 boats with relief supplies. Field kitchens on board can produce 3,000 meals per day.
Medical teams plan to turn the aircraft carrier into a floating hospital if needed, according to the navy.
Boats, high-clearance trucks and jet skis evacuate residents, says the governor of Songkhla province, where Hat Yai is located. The cabinet declares Songkhla a disaster zone to unlock funds for relief efforts. Many people remain stranded as water levels rise.
Thousands plead for evacuation
A volunteer rescue group reports thousands of calls in three days from people demanding evacuation.
Residents post urgent pleas on the group’s social media page. One user writes that many people remain trapped with children, the elderly, the sick and people with disabilities on upper floors.
Another user says his household has waited three days for help and that every second matters as his phone battery drops to 40 percent.
Several people write that they have had no food or water for days.
Dramatic scenes spread online
A viral video shows three boys clinging to power lines and inching toward safety as murky brown water rises below them.
In Malaysia, more than 19,000 people move to safety as 126 evacuation centres open in northern border regions.
In Kelantan and Perlis, rescue teams wade through knee-deep water to reach stranded residents in areas cut off by flooded roads.
Heavy seasonal rain is common at this time of year in South East Asia, but this year brings exceptionally severe flooding across the region.
