The death toll from flooding and landslides in Thailand climbed steeply on Friday, heaping misery on a country struggling with a deep economic slump and triggering criticism of the nation’s roughly 10-week-old government.
There have been 145 fatalities across southern Thai provinces, with 110 deaths in Songkhla province alone, government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat said in a briefing in Bangkok. That’s almost double the toll reported early on Friday. More than 1.25 million households and 3.6 million people have been affected in some way, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said earlier.
Songkhla province recorded a sharp increase in the death toll after flooding began to subside. News reports showed rescuers gained more access to residential areas that had previously been submerged under high water and recovered more bodies, particularly in Hat Yai, the largest city in the south.
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The disaster department reported on Friday morning that waters have receded in most of the affected areas, but levels remain high in some locations. The Meteorological Department said rainfall has decreased in the south but warned of thunderstorms in some areas.
The flooding caused severe disruption, leaving thousands of people stranded, rendering streets impassable and submerging low-rise buildings and vehicles.
Videos and photos from the affected areas on Friday show damaged roads, fallen power poles, household appliances and debris washed away by floodwaters piled along the streets. Abandoned cars were overturned or stacked atop one another, apparently swept away by powerful currents.