BANGKOK – Severe floods in southern Thailand, triggered by monsoon heavy rain, have claimed at least 26 lives and affected 555,000 households.
In its latest update at 6 pm (local time), Thailand’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said that floods in Nakhon Si Thammarat, the worst-hit province in southern Thailand, have claimed 21 lives while Surat Thani and Songkhla recorded two fatalities each and Trang one since Nov 25.
“The situation is gradually improving and water levels have subsided. However, a total of 282,691 families in five provinces remain affected,” it said in a statement.
Earlier, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan o-cha visited Nakhon Si Thammarat and handed out relief supplies to flood victims including farmers and fishermen.
He said that relevant authorities will provide necessary assistance and speed up flood recovery processes including repairs to damaged houses and infrastructure.
“The relevant agencies and departments will speed up draining the flood waters as well as follow-up on flood mitigation projects to resolve flooding issues in the future,” he said.
— BERNAMA
