Heavy floods in southern Thailand have claimed at least seven lives and inundated the homes of tens of thousands of people in several provinces, including numerous restive Muslim-majority areas.
The severe flooding, brought on by heavy days-long rains, has also damaged infrastructure, including a number of roads in rural areas in the southernmost provinces of Yala and Narathiwat where a nearly two-decade-long separatist insurgency has claimed thousands of lives.
Many roads became impassable in the two provinces and a bridge collapsed in Narathiwat, causing a Toyota pickup truck with seven people inside to tumble top down into fast-flowing river water about 5 meters deep, according to local officials.
All seven people — three men, two women, a two-year-old girl and a seven-month-old baby — drowned in the accident.
In Narathiwat province alone, at least 13 districts were flooded as a result of heavy rains that had continued for several days.
By last weekend more than 7,200 households in 195 villages were affected as the Sungai Kolok River overflowed its banks, damaging homes, businesses, schools and offices.
In Yala, meanwhile, nearly 20,000 people in some 5,000 families were affected by the rains and floods, according to officials.
People flooded out of their homes sought refuge in schools, mosques, Buddhist temples and other buildings on higher ground as the flood water stood at up to 1 meter high in numerous communities.
Images taken in these provinces showed inundated villages with some rickety homes having buckled into the water.
Other photos taken by locals and posted online showed desperate villagers in little plastic boats paddling around their submerged houses in heavy rain so as to save some of their belongings by moving them elsewhere.
Local rescuers including teams of soldiers and volunteers were delivering food and water to villagers trapped upstairs in small two-story dwellings on stilts.
Severe flooding is a common occurrence in southern Thailand and disadvantaged villagers living in wooden abodes with roofs of corrugated iron alongside waterways tend to be particularly affected.
