Record rainfall in Thailand leaves 41 dead
Bangkok, (EFE).
Heavy rains in Thailand in recent days have left a preliminary death toll of 41 and affected 2.7 million people across 20 provinces, with particularly severe flooding in nine southern regions, the country’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) reported Tuesday.
The government agency said on Facebook that some 941,000 homes have been damaged, mainly in Songkhla province, which borders Malaysia. Songkhla was declared a disaster zone on Monday and placed under a state of emergency on Tuesday.
Among the other hard-hit southern provinces are Satun, Trang, Yala, Pattani, and Surat Thani, including the islands of Koh Tao and Koh Samui, which receive hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors each year.
In addition, 11 provinces in central and northern Thailand have also reported flood damage, including regions such as Nonthaburi and Nakhon Pathom, both near Bangkok.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) has described these rains as the heaviest in the last 300 years in cities like Hat Yai, which recorded 335 millimeters of rainfall on Friday alone.
The public hospital most severely affected by the floods in this city is currently working to transfer 90 critical patients to another medical facility, as it has sufficient oxygen reserves only until Wednesday, public broadcaster Thai PBS reported.
Both the Thai police and army have posted multiple images on social media on Tuesday showing entire villages underwater, as well as of rescue efforts being carried out in these areas by hundreds of rescuers and security personnel, with the help of boats and helicopters.
The weather agency forecasts that the rains will cease on Tuesday and that flooded areas will return to normal water levels within the next 72 hours.
Southeast Asia is experiencing a particularly severe tropical storm and typhoon season this year, with hundreds of thousands of people evacuated in several countries.
Vietnamese authorities reported 90 deaths on Saturday from floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains, while Malaysia has evacuated more than 11,000 people due to flooding.
In November, Typhoon Kalmaegi caused six deaths in central Vietnam after hitting the Philippines, where it left 250 dead and more than 111 missing. EFE
