Thailand intensified rescue operations on Wednesday, airlifting critically ill patients and delivering emergency supplies by helicopter to flood-ravaged southern provinces where at least 33 people have died.
Record-breaking rainfall last week inundated the commercial hub of Hat Yai in Songkhla province, submerging the first floor of the main hospital and leaving thousands stranded on rooftops amid waist-high brown water.
The floods, affecting nine provinces and more than 2.7 million people, mark the second consecutive year of severe inundation across southern Thailand and neighboring Malaysia.
The Thai military deployed approximately 20 helicopters, 200 boats, and even the navy’s aircraft carrier to evacuate residents and transport essential items including oxygen tanks, generators, and food.
Helicopters focused on moving intensive care patients from Hat Yai Hospital, where around 2,000 patients, relatives, and staff were trapped after floodwaters cut off ground access.
Provincial authorities reported receiving assistance requests from roughly 77,000 people via social media, while water levels began gradually receding in some areas despite persistent strong currents.
Neighboring Malaysia reported one flood-related death and evacuated residents from eight states, with both countries combining to relocate nearly 50,000 people.
In Indonesia, floods and landslides this week claimed an estimated 8 to 13 lives.
Thai weather officials warned of continued scattered thundershowers and heavy rain in several southern provinces on Wednesday.
The extreme weather follows three days of torrential downpours, including a single-day record of 335 mm in Hat Yai — the highest in 300 years.