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Thailand is battling its worst flooding in decades that has killed at least 33 people, affected over 2.7 million, and submerged entire neighbourhoods under metres of water.
The city of Hat Yai, a major commercial hub near the Malaysian border, has been hit especially hard, recording 335mm of rainfall in a single day, the heaviest in 300 years, according to Thai officials. The region remains underwater after a week of relentless rain.
Helicopters were preparing on Wednesday to move patients trapped inside the Hat Yai hospital after its ground floor flooded, cutting off access to medical supplies and power systems.
“Today, all intensive care patients will be transported out of Hat Yai Hospital,” public health ministry official Somrerk Chungsaman said, adding that around 2,000 people, including patients, relatives and staff, remained inside the building.
Rescue crews also transported generators to the hospital roof, according to images posted by the navy.
The military said 20 helicopters and 200 boats had been deployed but fast currents and submerged roads hindered efforts to reach stranded families.
Government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat said rescue teams were struggling to access parts of the city.
Thailand’s only aircraft carrier, the HTMS Chakri Naruebet, was sent out on Tuesday to aid rescue efforts, with the navy saying it would provide air support, medical assistance and meals.
People wade through a flood street in Hat Yai in Thailand’s southern Songkhla province (AFP via Getty)
Flooding has swept across nine Thai provinces, submerging vehicles, inundating markets and cutting off electricity to entire districts.
More than 980,000 homes have been affected, according to the interior ministry.
Some 13,000 have been moved to shelters so far. Many remain stranded without drinking water and food.
Online videos show residents wading through floodwaters rising up to their chests while others huddle on rooftops waiting for boats.
Thailand is one of several Southeast Asian nations lashed by a strong storm system in recent days.
In Malaysia, more than 19,000 people have been forced from their homes, with 126 evacuation centres opened in northern border regions. Floodwaters in Kelantan and Perlis reached “knee-deep” in some areas, officials told local media.
In Indonesia, at least 19 people have been killed in the North Sumatra region by floods and landslides, with more feared missing, according to the National Search and Rescue Agency.
The Thai meteorological department has forecast heavy rainfall and scattered thunderstorms across its southern provinces like Songkhla, where Hat Yai lies.
The cabinet has declared Songkhla a disaster zone, freeing up emergency funds for relief operations.
Authorities warn that conditions may worsen in the coming days.
The volunteer Matchima Rescue Centre told Reuters it had received thousands of requests for evacuation in the past three days as calls for help continued to surge.
