BANGKOK, Nov 24 — Security forces and emergency teams have been ordered to throw everything they have into protecting Hat Yai, with severe flooding overwhelming large parts of the city.
The report, first carried by the Bangkok Post, said the rising waters have trapped residents across Songkhla — and stranded scores of Malaysian tourists in Hat Yai’s main commercial area before conditions began easing in some pockets.
Military units, disaster agencies and local authorities are working around the clock to evacuate people from flooded homes as water levels continue to climb.
Soldiers from the Fourth Army Region have also been told to help move patients from inundated hospitals and deliver essential supplies to those stuck indoors.
Mobile medical teams have been deployed to shelters to provide first aid and support vulnerable groups.
Police have been instructed to patrol affected neighbourhoods throughout the day to deter theft, while traffic officers have put up warning signs to keep motorists from unknowingly entering deep water.
Rapid-response teams remain on standby to reinforce flood relief operations.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul travelled to Hat Yai on Sunday to assess the situation.
At the airport, he met stranded passengers, including foreign tourists, before receiving a briefing on the rescue efforts.
He later boarded a truck to visit flood victims at a temporary shelter.
Authorities said 10 districts in Songkhla have been declared disaster-hit areas, and the situation in Hat Yai — the southern region’s economic hub — remains “critical”.
Streets across the city centre were submerged.
Even so, water levels in some parts have begun to recede, allowing many Malaysian tourists to leave their hotels and make their way towards the land border, according to a hotel operator on Nipat Uthit 2 Road.
Songkhla governor Rattasart Chidchoo said the floods, which began on November 19, have affected more than 465,000 people across 16 districts, including about 243,000 residents in Hat Yai.
In Ranot district, strong winds have damaged more than 700 households.
No casualties have been reported.
Local authorities have been told to maintain 24-hour communication lines and respond swiftly to emergency calls. Anutin said rehabilitation efforts will begin as soon as conditions allow.
Beyond the city, runoff from Sadao spilled into communities along the U-Tapao canal, leaving Thung Lung intersection under water.
Runoff from Na Mom district also cut off parts of the Pak Thong–Khuan Chong Road, forcing many motorists to abandon their vehicles.
The local meteorological office warned that heavier downpours are expected across the lower South, including Songkhla, until Wednesday due to a strong monsoon trough over the Gulf of Thailand.
