Flash floods hit the South – again

Other parts of the South were hit as well, prompting hospital evacuations, halting airline services and forcing train passengers to continue their journeys by bus. But despite some provinces struggling with rising floodwater, levels were receding in the deep South.

In Nakhon Si Thammarat, run-off from Luang and Nun mountains, triggered by steady rain over the past four days, caused unprecedented massive flooding, putting several main roads and residential communities under deep water.

The floodwater in some communities, such as Bo Sap and Ban Tok, ran as high as two metres, forcing locals to resort to using boats to get around.

Authorities were mobilised to assist flood victims and evacuate those who wanted to move to safety.

Bad weather forced the provincial airport authority to suspend all flights, stranding several hundred passengers.

Rail passengers travelling north were advised to board trains at Thung Song station because tracks between Nakhon Si Thammarat station to Thung Song station were submerged.

Those travelling south were asked to disembark at Thung Song station and take buses provided by the rail agency to their destinations.

The floods battered six districts, three of which – Nop Phi Tham, Tha Sala and Sichon – have been declared disaster areas. In Tha Sala district, flash flooding breached an earth dyke and hit Tha Sala Hospital. The entire ground floor was inundated, forcing the hospital to suspend all medical services for outpatients except emergency cases.