SONGKHLA, Thailand — As floodwaters slowly began to recede on Thursday, authorities said the death toll from severe flooding in southern Thailand had climbed to more than 80, with Songkhla province alone accounting for 55 deaths.
Days of torrential rain triggered floods that ripped through an estimated one million households across 12 provinces, stretching from Nakhon Si Thammarat down to Yala. While some communities woke to clearer streets, others remain submerged and cut off, with homes destroyed, roads blocked and only patchy access to electricity, clean water and medical care.
Parts of Pattani and Nakhon Si Thammarat are still under deep water, complicating relief efforts. The sharp jump in fatalities in Songkhla pushed the national toll sharply higher and added urgency to the work of rescue teams already stretched thin.
The government said it expects most rivers to fall back within their banks by Thursday evening, but warned that the humanitarian situation will remain critical, with extensive damage to housing, roads and basic services.
Meteorologists have described the deluge as a once-in-three-centuries event, citing extreme rainfall totals — including 335 mm in a single day in Hat Yai, one of the region’s largest cities.
Climate scientists say warming sea surface temperatures, driven by climate change, likely intensified the storms, increasing both the volume and intensity of rainfall over southern Thailand.
For many communities, the immediate danger from fast-moving floods is giving way to a long recovery: clearing debris, restoring infrastructure and preventing waterborne diseases as the waters slowly retreat.
