Thailand battled Tuesday to rescue thousands of people stranded in their homes after flash floods - several metres deep in places - swept through a southern city, cutting power and communications. Heavy flooding has already killed more than 100 people around the country since October 10 in what Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva described as "a huge natural calamity".
Rising waters began to inundate Hat Yai, a city of more than 150,000 in Songkhla province, late Monday after days of heavy downpours, affecting tens of thousands of people, possibly including foreign tourists. At least two people were reported to have died in the south and power and telephone communications on the popular tourist island of Samui were reported to have been disrupted, along with ferry services.
Samui airport was closed temporarily due to heavy downpours and poor visibility, affecting an estimated 1,400 passengers on domestic and international flights. About 100 foreign tourists were reported to be stranded on nearby Angthong Island because of high waves.