Two missing, houses buried by flash floods in south

" A flash flood last night caused damage and landslides," said  Vibhavadi district chief Prasert Jitmung  yesterday. Two people are missing, he said, and five houses were still buried under piles of earth and mud.

"Rescue workers cannot reach the area to offer help because the floodwater current is too strong," Prasert said. "At the worsthit spots, the water is over three metres deep."

In Khiri Rat Nikhom district, 300 people have been evacuated from their homes and  floodwaters have risen to nearly four metres .

Many roads in Surat Thani are impassable because of rising floodwater.

In the  neighbouring province of Nakhon Si Thammarat, floods have swamped many areas and 50 local schools have suspended classes indefinitely. There are over 150,000 flood victims in Nakhon Si Thammarat alone.

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department warned people in 10 southern provinces to brace for more flash flooding.  Aside from Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat, provinces on the flood warning list are Chumphon, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, Trang and Satun.