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.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's aircraft was nearly struck by a drone while departing Moldova on ...
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Wednesday they attacked two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, calling the st...
Georgia’s International Maritime Forum has closed in Batumi with officials setting out investment targets, timelines and technical plans aime...
Four people were killed, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight, according to the governor of the Krasnodar region. Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said Russian military ships were destroyed in the attacks.
A TV channel was struck during a live broadcast on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least three people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Meanwhile, drones hit civilian infrastructure in Russia's southwestern Saratov region.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly launched two ballistic missile attacks against a U.S. Navy warship over the past two days.
Wildfires have broken out in Türkiye’s Antalya province, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate as strong winds fuelled the flames.
Indonesia has reopened Jakarta's main airport and four others after volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau forced widespread flight cancellations, though fresh eruptions have kept authorities on alert.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's aircraft was nearly struck by a drone while departing Moldova on its way to Norway, according to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Wednesday they attacked two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, calling the strikes a response to a U.S. attack on five Iranian tankers.
The United Nations has called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, warning that escalating drone warfare and attacks on civilian infrastructure are deepening the country's already devastating humanitarian crisis.
Climate leaders in Baku are calling for a shift from climate commitments to concrete action as day three of Baku Climate Action Week focuses on implementation, cooperation and measurable results.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has dissolved parliament and called a snap election for 25 October, as he seeks to extend his political influence by running for prime minister.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment