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Thursday, December 11, 2025
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At Least Eight Dead as Southern Thailand Floods Hit Nearly 2 Million

This Week

Southern Thailand is confronting its most severe flooding in over three centuries as relentless monsoon rains have killed at least eight people and affected nearly 2 million residents across 10 provinces. 

The southern trading hub Hat Yai district in Songkhla province recorded its heaviest single-day rainfall in more than 300 years, prompting authorities to declare all 16 districts in Songkhla a disaster zone.

Songkhla’s Governor Ratthasart Chidchoo ordered the immediate evacuation of vulnerable groups, including children, the elderly, and the sick, while mobilizing military, civilian, and local agencies for urgent relief. Na Thawi district remains the worst-hit, with floodwaters engulfing all 10 sub-districts and 92 villages, affecting over 15,000 households, more than 50,000 people.

Floodwaters have inundated homes, streets, and commercial areas in Hat Yai district. Residents wade through chest-deep water, with some using plastic containers as makeshift boats to transport children. Trucks and buses form long queues along the few dry roads remaining. 

Authorities report that the eight fatalities were primarily due to electrocution and other flood-related accidents.

Across southern Thailand, provinces including Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Trang, Krabi, Surat Thani, and Satun face widespread flooding, submerged homes, impassable roads, and disrupted water supplies. 

Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reports over 4,100 villages damaged. 

Thailand has deployed hundreds of boats, high-clearance vehicles, and water pumps, while Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered additional machinery to mitigate rising levels. Relief efforts focus on food, clean drinking water, temporary shelters, and medical aid, with rescue teams accessing remote areas by boat.

The flooding also affects northern Malaysia, which lies adjacent to southern Thailand. 

More than 15,000 people are sheltering in 90 evacuation centres, though no deaths have been reported. Malaysian authorities, led by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, have mobilized civil defence teams, trucks, four-wheel-drive vehicles, and boats to assist affected communities.

Authorities in both countries continue round-the-clock monitoring and emergency response to protect lives, maintain critical infrastructure, and deliver relief. 

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