Scores killed and thousands evacuated from record rainfall

Parts of Thailand are struggling with record floods that have killed at least 18 people and prompted authorities to send military ships and helicopters to support relief efforts.

Flooding hit ten provinces in the south of the country last week; The city of Hat Yai, a business hub on the Malaysian border, recorded the heaviest rainfall in 300 years, with 335 mm in a single day.

Photos show the city’s flooded vehicles and homes, while desperate residents wait on their rooftops to be rescued.

The incessant rains also affected neighboring countries. While the death toll in Vietnam rose to 91 in a week, more than 19 thousand people had to be displaced from their homes in Malaysia.

More than 2 million people were affected by floods in Thailand, but only 13,000 were moved to shelters.

The vast majority are disconnected and unable to receive assistance, according to Reuters news agency.

The Thai military, tasked with tackling the crisis, said it was preparing to send an aircraft carrier and a fleet of 14 boats full of relief supplies, as well as field kitchens said to be capable of delivering 3,000 meals a day.

The Navy said that medical teams on the aircraft carrier will turn it into a “floating hospital” if necessary.

The governor of Songkhla province, where Hat Yai is located, said boats, high-haul trucks and jet skis were also deployed to evacuate residents.

The cabinet declared Songkhla a disaster area on Tuesday and allocated funds for aid.

However, many people were trapped by rising waters.

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

People also posted urgent calls for help on Matchima’s Facebook page. “Many people are stranded… Please help,” 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 has been waiting for help for three days: “Every second is very important now… Please share, help.” [phone’s] Battery is at 40%. Thank you everyone.”

Some also wrote that they had not been able to get food or water for days.

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

In Malaysia, more than 19,000 people were evacuated to safety with 126 evacuation centers established in the northern border areas.

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