Southern Thailand Flood Tragedy: 33 Dead, Emergency Airlifts Underway
BANGKOK — Thai authorities are preparing helicopter evacuations for critically ill patients from a flooded hospital in the country’s south as the death toll from devastating floods climbed to 33 on Wednesday. The region faces continued rainfall amid one of its worst flooding episodes in years.
The disaster has affected nine Thai provinces and eight Malaysian states, forcing nearly 45,000 people to evacuate across both nations. In Indonesia, recent floods and landslides have claimed between eight and thirteen lives, while Malaysia reported one fatality.
Hat Yai, among Thailand’s hardest-hit urban centers, has seen its main government hospital completely cut off by floodwaters. The facility currently treats 600 patients, including 50 in intensive care. Public health official Somrerk Chungsaman confirmed that helicopters would deliver essential supplies and transport vulnerable patients to safety.
“Today, all intensive care patients will be transported out of Hat Yai Hospital,” Somrerk stated.
Rescue operations have been hampered by challenging conditions. Government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat reported that 20 helicopters and 200 boats participating in the Hat Yai rescue mission have struggled to reach stranded residents.
The hospital currently shelters approximately 2,000 people, including patients, relatives, and medical staff. Officials hope that as water levels recede, boats will be able to deliver food and other necessities.
The region experienced unprecedented rainfall last week, with Hat Yai receiving 335 mm (13 inches) in a single day—the highest recorded in three centuries.
Military helicopters are delivering generators to the inundated hospital, with the Thai Navy sharing images of equipment being moved to the rooftop amid continuing poor weather conditions.
According to the interior ministry, flooding across nine southern provinces has impacted more than 980,000 households and 2.7 million people. Weather forecasts predict further scattered thundershowers and heavy rains in the region throughout Wednesday.
The Thai military has assumed control of relief efforts, coordinating the movement of boats, medical supplies, and personnel toward affected areas. Thailand’s sole aircraft carrier, the Chakri Naruebet, has been deployed to provide air support, medical assistance, and meals.
As rescue teams continue to extract stranded families—including children and elderly residents—from submerged homes, many desperate citizens have turned to social media to seek help for trapped relatives, highlighting the urgent human toll of the ongoing disaster.
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