Indonesia Flood drama in southern Thailand - parts of Sumatra also under water
There is still no end in sight to a dramatic flood disaster in the south of Thailand. The Bangkok Post newspaper quoted university professor Seree Supratid, an expert on climate change and disaster prevention, as saying that it could take weeks for the water to recede from the particularly badly affected district of Hat Yai on the border with Malaysia.
26.11.2025, 07:20
SDA
The media, citing the authorities, wrote that more than 690,000 people in the area are now affected by the devastating floods. After the recent record-breaking monsoon rains, civil protection authorities are already talking about millions of people affected in Thailand.
Houses completely under water
"On Tuesday morning alone, the floodwaters rose by almost two meters compared to Monday," said Supratid. Houses in Hat Yai, where the water had previously reached a level of around one meter, were now completely under water. Many people were staying on their roofs and desperately waiting for help. In many places, the emergency teams could only make progress by boat.
The government ordered the use of helicopters to drop food and relief supplies to families trapped in their homes in the heavily flooded areas. Supplies were already running low in many places. Among others, the military was also deployed.
Meanwhile, the national tourism authority TAT fears massive losses for the popular region. Around 8,000 tourists, most of them foreigners from Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, have been stranded in hotels and at Hat Yai airport over the past few days.
Malaysia and Indonesia also affected
Other parts of Southeast Asia are also under water. Thailand's neighbor Malaysia is particularly affected. According to the authorities, almost 10,000 people had to seek refuge in temporary accommodation in the neighboring northeastern state of Kelantan alone. On the Indonesian island of Sumatra, thousands of residents were left homeless after days of heavy rainfall caused flooding and landslides.
According to disaster control, at least eight people died in North Sumatra and dozens more were injured. The South Tapanuli district was particularly badly affected. Here, several bridges were severely damaged by the masses of water. Numerous roads are blocked. Cars and debris were floating in the floods.
According to the national weather authority, two weather systems are responsible: tropical cyclone Koto, which formed over the Sulu Sea between the Philippines and Indonesia, and a tropical storm system in the Strait of Malacca. Both systems caused massive rainfall and strong winds in the region.
