12 die in S. Thailand, 7 in Malaysia amid disastrous floods

At least 12 people have died and more than 600,000 households have been affected by the worst flooding in southern Thailand in decades, according to a government agency.

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The heavy downpours and flash floods that have persisted across the country's south since Nov 22 have affected about 640,580 households in 10 provinces, causing around 13,000 people to seek refuge in the 200 temporary shelters set up as at Dec 1, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said in a statement. Seven provinces in the area are still experiencing floods, it said.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's administration said it is monitoring the situation "every hour" and on Nov 29 approved a 70 million baht (S$2.74 million) emergency budget to ease the impact of the floods. The government also plans an additional cash handout, debt restructuring and a rice subsidy worth a combined 166 billion baht to help support the nation's nascent economic recovery.