Floodwaters recede in Thailand but Malaysia braces for new deluge

Floodwaters began to recede on Thursday in parts of southern Thailand including Hat Yai, a major city entirely submerged for five days, revealing grim finds of bodies and unprecedented damage to homes and farmland.

The overnight death toll of 33 appears certain to rise from a week of flooding that has hit well over 2.5 million people across the entire southernmost provinces of the country.

Images shared on social media by stranded residents in Hat Yai alone, showing bodies tied to lamp posts to prevent them from being swept away by the raging torrent, suggest the number of dead is likely to rise.

Rescuers called in from across the country have reported finding bodies inside homes that have been inundated with water as high as two to three metres (6.5 to 10 feet).

As swathes of the south remain under water, there are fears that emergency responders have yet to reach communities outside urban areas, across the provinces of Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.