3 Nov 2010

Flash foods hit Thai city

1:45 pm on 3 November 2010

Flash floods, several metres deep in places, have swept through Hat Yai, a big city in southern Thailand, stranding about 100,000 people.

Days of heavy rain led to the inundation of the city in Songkhla province, 80% of which, according to Mayor Prai Pattano, is under water up to four metres deep.

The flooding has cut power, and 30,000 households are stranded.

Heavy flooding has already killed more than 100 people in Thailand since 10 October, mainly in central and eastern areas.

Authorities estimate six million people have been affected, with homes submerged and farmland or cattle destroyed.

In total, 104 people, including three foreigners, have died.