Select Language:
Floodwaters from days of heavy rain have claimed at least eight lives in southern Thailand and prompted thousands to evacuate to shelters in neighboring Malaysia. Authorities are intensifying efforts to provide emergency support and shelter.
In some locations, floodwaters reach waist-high, impacting ten provinces in southern Thailand and eight states in Malaysia—regions stretching hundreds of miles, which were also severely affected by monsoon flooding last year that resulted in at least 12 fatalities.
In Thailand’s southern trading city, Hat Yai, on Friday, the rainfall was the heaviest in over three centuries, according to the irrigation department. Video footage from the weekend shows people wading through muddy waters in commercial districts, where shops and parked motorcycles were submerged. Some residents used plastic containers as makeshift boats to move children, while outside the city, trucks and buses lined up along sparse dry roads amid slow-moving traffic through floodwaters.
Authorities reported that the eight deaths in Thailand were mainly due to electrocution and related accidents. The government has deployed hundreds of boats and high-clearance vehicles to deliver aid, affecting more than 700,000 households since last week. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered additional water pumps and emphasized that aid must be timely, comprehensive, and sufficient.
In Malaysia, over 15,000 people are sheltering in 90 evacuation centers, with no fatalities reported so far. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi stated that civil defense teams are on standby, with over 90 land and water rescue assets including trucks, four-wheel-drive vehicles, and rescue boats in operation. He expressed hope that the disaster would not cause widespread damage and urged resilience and patience among those affected.
Meanwhile, in central Vietnam, flooding and landslides over the past week have killed 91 people and disrupted infrastructure, leaving over 1.1 million households and businesses without power. The government estimates property damages at approximately $493 million and has provided cash and rice aid to victims. More than 200,000 homes, 200,000 hectares of crops, and over 1,150 hectares of fish farms have been flooded. The water levels are now receding, but the region’s coffee farms—especially in the central highlands—suffered damage that hampers the upcoming harvest, highlighting the ongoing struggle with the severe weather patterns common in the area.
ChatGPT
Perplexity
Gemini AI
Grok AI
