Severe Flooding in Southern Thailand Kills Seven People

Severe flooding in southern Thailand has killed seven people, four of them in the worst-hit Nakhon Si Thammarat province according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

Much of Nakhon Si Thammarat has been battered by the floods from persistent heavy downpours. Floods have also crippled vast residential areas and government offices.

Pithakpol Boonyamalik, Public Health Ministry inspector, said even though the deluge swept through the province fast, water has begun to stabilise. Damage was being assessed and emergency responses have been launched to assist flood victims. Rebuilding work will get under way in three to four days, he said.

Meanwhile, the DDPM said seven people have also died as a result of the raging floods which also injured many, including a 14-month-old toddler. The toddler has been admitted to an intensive care unit at a hospital in Nakhon Si Thammarat. The city is almost completely under water.

Four of the seven deaths were reported in Nakhon Si Thammarat; one in Nop Phi Tham district, two in Phra Phom district and one in Chalerm Prakiat district. It is unclear in what provinces the three other people died.

The other southern Thailand provinces affected by floods are Surat Thani, Phatthalung, Trang, Satun, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. In all, 261,253 households in 70 districts have been hit by the floods.

Widespread inundation

Officials have carried out surveys to gauge the extent of damage in Nakhon Si Thammarat where about 150,000 rai of farmland is devastated by the floods. Floods also destroyed more than 12,000 rai of aquatic animal farms, according to satellite data. The data was provided by the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Gistda).

The widespread inundation has also left livestock with little land to graze on.

The government has mobilized manpower and resources of various state agencies to evacuate flood victims and offer necessary help for them, he said. It is unclear how long the clean-up will take or how much it will cost.

Consequently many residents need to be evacuated from their flooded homes. The Interior Ministry ordered local administrative organisations to allocate funds to send rescuers immediately.

In Phatthalung, most areas across its 11 districts were also flooded. Railway services to the South have been suspended due to the deluge.- Bangkok Post