Dozens dead and thousands evacuated following record rainfall

Parts of Thailand are facing record flooding, which has killed at least 33 people and prompted authorities to deploy military ships and helicopters to support relief efforts.

The deluge has hit 10 southern provinces of the country over the past week, with the town of Hat Yai, a business center bordering Malaysia, recording its heaviest rainfall in 300 years – 335mm in a single day.

Photos show submerged vehicles and homes across the city, while desperate residents wait for help on their rooftops.

Incessant rains have also ravaged neighboring countries. In Vietnam, the death toll rose to 98 in one week, while in Malaysia, more than 19,000 people were forced to leave their homes.

In Indonesia, at least 19 people were killed and at least seven others remained buried under landslides in North Sumatra, according to Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency.

In Thailand, more than 2 million people were affected by the floods, but only 13,000 of them were moved to shelters.

The vast majority of them are isolated and unable to get help, according to the Reuters news agency.

The Thai military, charged with managing the crisis, announced it was preparing to send an aircraft carrier and a flotilla of 14 boats loaded with relief supplies, as well as field kitchens expected to be able to deliver 3,000 meals a day.

Medical teams aboard the aircraft carrier will transform it into a “floating hospital” if necessary, the navy said.

Boats, bulky trucks and jet skis were also deployed to evacuate residents, said the governor of Songkhla province, where Hat Yai is located.

The cabinet declared Songkhla a disaster area on Tuesday, freeing up funds for relief efforts.

However, many people remain stranded amid rising waters.

A volunteer rescue group, the Matchima Rescue Center, told Reuters it had been inundated with thousands of calls over the past three days, with people asking to be evacuated.

People also posted urgent calls for help on Matchima’s Facebook page. “A lot of people are trapped… Please help me,” one user wrote. “It’s very difficult right now. The water has reached the second floor, where there are children, the elderly, the sick and the disabled!!!”

Another wrote that his family had been waiting for help for three days: “Every second is crucial now… Please help us share.” [phone’s] the battery is at 40%. Thank you all.”

Some also wrote that they had not had food or water for days.

A clip that has gone viral on social media shows three young boys hanging from power lines, trying to make their way to safety as murky brown waters continue to rise below them.

In Malaysia, more than 19,000 people have been evacuated to safety, with 126 evacuation centers set up in northern border areas.

In Kelantan and Perlis states, rescue teams waded through knee-deep floodwaters to evacuate residents from areas where rising waters had cut off access to roads.

Heavy seasonal rains are common at this time of year in Southeast Asia, but this year exceptionally high levels of flooding have been recorded across the region.