Around 2,000 critically ill patients, staff and family are set to be airlifted from Hat Yai Hospital, in southern Thailand after being marooned by recent flooding on Friday (21 November) that killed at least 33 people.
Flooding has swept through nine provinces in Thailand for a second straight year, forcing nearly 45,000 people to flee their homes.
In Hat Yai, the hardest-hit city, authorities say helicopters will remove all intensive-care patients from the main government hospital, where floodwaters have inundated the first floor. The facility is treating 600 patients, including about 50 in critical condition.
Efforts to reach stranded residents have been hampered, with 20 helicopters and 200 boats struggling against deep, fast-moving waters, government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat said.
Around 2,000 people — patients, staff and relatives — remain at the hospital. As waters begin to recede, boats should soon be able to bring in food supplies, according to Somrerk.
Hat Yai received 335 mm (13 inches) of rain on a single day last week — the heaviest in 300 years.
Military helicopters are delivering generators, according to the Thai Navy, which shared images of equipment lifted to the hospital rooftop under dark skies.
After Thai military assumed command of the relief operation on Tuesday, military helicopters began delivering generators, while convoys of trucks transported flat-bottomed boats, rubber dinghies, medical supplies and personnel to Hat Yai.
The country's sole aircraft carrier, Chakri Naruebet, departed its home port the same day to deliver air support, medical aid and food for the rescue effort, the Thai navy reported.
Nationwide, more than 980,000 homes and 2.7 million people have been affected across nine southern provinces, including Songkhla, the interior ministry said.
Weather experts expect scattered thundershowers and heavy rain to continue on Wednesday in several southern regions.
Meanwhile, in Indonesia, between 8 and 13 people are feared dead after severe floods and landslides this week, while one death has been confirmed in Malaysia.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government would not assist Australian families of suspected Islamic State (IS) militants return h...
President Donald Trump said he will be involved “indirectly” in nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran scheduled for Tuesday in G...
The Pentagon has threatened to designate artificial intelligence firm Anthropic as a “supply chain risk” amid a dispute over the military use of i...
Representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the United States are set to meet in Geneva for a third round of trilateral negotiations aimed at ending the ne...
Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed two people in the past 12 hours, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday....
Thousands of local residents and international visitors have gathered in northern Thailand for the 49th annual Chiang Mai Flower Festival, one of the city’s longest-running contemporary events.
An 18-year-old gunman killed one person and injured two others before being shot and arrested by police at a school in southern Thailand on Wednesday, according to local media and officials.
Early voting for Thailand’s parliamentary elections began on Sunday (1 February), with more than two million eligible voters casting ballots nationwide ahead of the 8 February general election, as authorities acknowledged errors and irregularities at some polling stations.
A crane collapse at a construction site near Bangkok has killed two people and injured five others on Thursday, Thai police said, a day after a separate crane accident derailed a train in northeastern Thailand, killing dozens.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani said the United States could evaluate its own interests separately from those of Israel in ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday (15 February) called it “troubling” a report by five European allies blaming Russia for killing late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny using a toxin from poison dart frogs.
Cuba’s fuel crisis has turned into a waste crisis, with rubbish piling up on most street corners in Havana as many collection trucks lack enough petrol to operate.
Norway is holding a commanding lead in the medal standings with 12 golds and a total of 26, with Italy having an historic performance on home soil on the ninth day of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday (15 February).
Iran is pursuing a nuclear agreement with the U.S. that delivers economic benefits for both sides, an Iranian diplomat was reported as saying on Sunday (15 February), days before a second round of talks between Tehran and Washington.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government would not assist Australian families of suspected Islamic State (IS) militants return home from a Syrian camp.
The Pentagon has threatened to designate artificial intelligence firm Anthropic as a “supply chain risk” amid a dispute over the military use of its Claude AI model, according to a report published Monday.
Representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the United States are set to meet in Geneva for a third round of trilateral negotiations aimed at ending the nearly four-year war, even as both sides intensify military pressure on the ground.
Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, announced on 16 February that the Honourable Janice Charette has been appointed as the next Chief Trade Negotiator to the United States. She's been tasked with overseeing the upcoming review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
Cuba’s fuel crisis has turned into a waste crisis, with rubbish piling up on most street corners in Havana as many collection trucks lack enough petrol to operate.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment