The helicopter, belonging to the Agriculture Ministry, was on a mission to deliver food and relief items to residents of Tha Tako district. It is suspected that the helicopter was overloaded with bottled water when it crashed into 10 metres of water.

Pilot Lt-General Apai Phunuchapai and mechanic 2nd-Lieutenant Narong Phosawat were rushed to separate hospitals. Apai went into a coma late yesterday, while Narong was reportedly in a stable condition.

Meanwhile, permanent secretary for Public Health Dr Prat Boonyawongvirot, said 560,000 people had fallen ill, 60 per cent suffering from foot, hand and mouth disease, as a result of the two-month floods.

With the growing number of mosquitoes and flies in Angthong and Sing Buri, the ministry dispatched 40 teams of disease-control officials to spray affected areas.

Medical Services Department director-general Dr Chatri Bancheun, said 10 medical teams were ready to assist flood victims and doctors would be sent to Angthong from October 31 to November 2. The department will also send 12,000 tubes of skin medicine to the ministry's flood-relief war room.

Angthong public-health chief Thawal Poblarb said 53,865 flood victims had become sick and many were believed to be suffering severe stress but only 1,000 had seen doctors, so psychologists were being sent by boat to check-on people at home.

Angthong Governor Wiboon Sa-nguanpong said the floods had affected 123,286 people in seven districts, 713 families having been forced out of their homes to stay with relatives or in roadside shacks. Buddhist monks in 160 flooded temples were forced to cook for themselves, said Phra Somneuk Sumetho of Wat Channimit. 

The Angthong Educational Zone Office said 78 schools were submerged and about half would be open on November 13 while the harder-hit schools might open on November 20.

In Pathum Thani, Sam Khok police station was under waist-deep water, while Deputy Interior Minister Banyat Jansena provided 2,000 relief bags to Sam Khok residents.

Royal Irrigation Department director-general Samart Chokanapitak said the agency was speeding up its water release from the western Chao Phya River basin, causing water in the canals of Ayutthaya, Suphan Buri, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi and Nakhon Pathom to rise.

Samart said the water volume in Nakhon Sawan was 4,155 cubic metres per second, 140 cubic metres down from the previous day, while the water passing through Ayutthaya to Bangkok was at 3,471 cubic metres per second, 56 cubic metres down from the day before.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont ordered agencies to study the possibility of diverting water from the Pasak River basin to the Lam Takhong Dam in Nakhon Ratchasima's Sikhiu district.

The Pasak Dam needs to release over 100 million cubic metres of water, and this measure should reduce the flooding impact, he said.

Down south, amid heavy rains and waves of up to three metres, Surat Thani deputy governor Thawatchai Terdphaothai ordered small trawlers to stay in port and announced a temporary closing of Koh Pha-ngan district's Ang Thong Marine Park to tourists until the monsoon finished.

Local officials were ordered to closely watch for heavy rainfall, possible flash-floods and landslides and be ready to evacuate some 15,000 residents living around the 84 landslide-prone spots in Khao Sok National Park, while residents in low-laying areas along the rising Tapi River were also put of flood alert.