Thailand airlifts patients, rushes supplies as floods in south kill 33

The authorities in Thailand were planning to send helicopters on Nov 26 to evacuate critically ill patients from a southern hospital marooned by some of the region’s worst floods in years, as the death toll rose to 33, with more rain expected.

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Floods have swept through nine Thai provinces and eight states in neighbouring Malaysia for asecond successive year, prompting both countries to evacuate nearly 50,000 people.

In Indonesia, eight to 13 people are estimated to have died following floods and landslides this week, while one has died in Malaysia.

Three days of torrential rain starting last week dumped record volumes on Hat Yai, Thailand’s southern commercial hub. On Nov 21, the city received 335mm of rain, its highest in a single day for 300 years.

The Thai military has mobilised boats, helicopters and even its lone aircraft carrier to deliver supplies and evacuate the sick.

Extreme weather events can become more frequent as a result of global warming, with higher sea surface temperatures supercharging tropical storms.

“There have been 33 deaths across seven provinces,” Thai government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat said in Bangkok. “Causes of death include being swept away by currents, drowning, electrocution and landslides.”