A video showed a baby being rescued from a house hit by the flooding in Thailand. Photo Reuters
A video showed a baby being rescued from a house hit by the flooding in Thailand. Photo Reuters

Malaysia, Thailand flooding kills at least 12

Heavy rain and storm warnings remain in place
In Thailand, two hospitals have been closed and six provinces have declared a disaster.
BBC
Severe flooding triggered by heavy rain in Malaysia and Thailand has claimed at least 12 lives and displaced over 135 000 people.



In northern Malaysia, more than 122 000 residents have been forced to evacuate, while around 13 000 people have been displaced in southern Thailand. Officials fear the situation may worsen, as rain and storm warnings remain in effect.



Emergency services are actively rescuing stranded residents and setting up shelters. Videos circulating on social media depict submerged homes and vehicles, with residents wading through waist-deep water. A dramatic rescue in Thailand's Sateng Nok district showed a baby carried from a rooftop.



Floodwaters have impacted nearly 534,000 households in southern Thailand, leading to the closure of two hospitals. Six provinces have declared a disaster, prompting the government to allocate U$1.7 million for relief in each province. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra vowed to restore normalcy swiftly.



In Malaysia, the northeastern state of Kelantan, which borders Thailand, has been hit hardest, accounting for 63% of evacuees. Residents in Pasir Puteh describe feeling isolated, as floodwaters near their homes. This flooding surpassed the displacement figures from 2014, one of the country’s worst floods.



Relief supplies have been dispatched to the affected states, and Malaysia's Prime Minister has barred cabinet members from taking leave to prioritize the crisis. The Malaysian Meteorological Department has predicted continued heavy rain until Sunday, while Thailand’s weather agency has warned of prolonged rainfall.



Both nations frequently experience monsoon-related floods, with Malaysia facing deadly floods in 2021 and Thailand enduring catastrophic flooding in 2011 that claimed over 500 lives.

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Namibian Sun 2024-12-22

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