Flash floods ravage southern provinces

Flooding has affected more than 64,400 households in nine southern provinces since Sunday and persists in seven provinces, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported yesterday.

Days of heavy rain and strong winds from Sunday to yesterday sparked flash floods and landslides in the nine provinces of Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang, Phatthalung, Satun, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat.

A total of 64,626 households in 1,425 villages in 66 districts were hit by flooding, the department said.

Flooding remained a problem in seven provinces — Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat. A total of 61,939 families in 1,361 villages of 58 districts were affected. Three deaths were reported in Narathiwat.

In Yala, severe flooding ravaged all eight districts, affecting more than 5,000 households. One boy was killed, and a girl was injured in floods that also swept away another boy, who remained missing.

Yesterday, the search continued for Abdulrohhaman Isor, 14, a student at an Islamic school in Yala’s Muang district. The boy was swept away by floodwater on Sunday and has not been seen since, the provincial centre for disaster and landslide operations reported yesterday.

The boy who died was identified as 13-year-old Ifan Jaetae, while the injured girl was named as 5-yearold Arisa Jaetae, both of Yaha district. Both fell into a water retention area.

Two days of downpours caused the overflowing of the Pattani and Sai Buri rivers that affected 23,605 people from 5,525 households in all eight districts of the border province. A total of 239 villages were inundated.

Officials evacuated 105 people from 30 families. Twenty houses were damaged by the flooding that swept over 5,591 rai of farmland. Seventeen roads, two bridges, and 21 power poles were damaged, while one mosque was flooded.

As of 6am yesterday, water levels in the Pattani and Sai Buri rivers were still 1.25 metres higher than the river banks in Muang district, and by 2.47m in Raman district.