Death toll from floods rises over 30 in Thailand, Malaysia as another rain spell expected

ANKARA

The death toll from devastating floods in Thailand and Malaysia jumped to 31 on Tuesday as authorities in both countries are bracing for another spell of heavy rains in the coming days.

A bulk of the casualties were reported across southern Thailand, where 25 people have been killed, and over 664,000 households were affected in 10 provinces over the past week, according to the country’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

Among the hardest-hit provinces were Pattani, Narathiwat, Songkhla, and Yala, where nearly 500 shelter camps have been set up for more than 34,000 evacuees.

Although water levels have receded in several provinces, authorities have put rescue workers on alert as the southeast Asian country expects more torrential rains through Thursday due to a moderate northeast monsoon combined with a low-pressure system moving across the lower South China Sea.

Forecasting isolated “heavy to very heavy rains” for the lower southern region, Thailand’s Meteorological Department said in a statement.

The statement also warned the residents in affected areas of potential flash floods and runoff over the next few days, particularly in foothills, waterways, and low-lying places.

Also, floods in southern Thailand could cut rubber production by about 7%, according to Bangkok Post, citing the Rubber Authority of Thailand.

At least six people have been killed in Malaysia due to rain-triggered floods that hammered the country’s eastern coast last week.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department expects the monsoon surge to occur on Dec. 8-14 in the eastern part of the peninsula, with the potential to produce thunderstorms and heavy rain during that period, state-run Bernama news agency reported on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said five days of heavier-than-expected rains were equal to the rainfall over the past six months, and have cost the government an estimated 1 billion ringgit ($224 million) in infrastructure losses.

Floods are a common occurrence in Southeast Asia, owing to the northeast monsoon, which brings heavy rain from November to March.