Floods in southern Thailand kill five

PATTANI: Heavy floods swept into southern Thailand this week killing five people, authorities said Thursday as photos of waterlogged and damaged roads spread on social media.

The worst-hit provinces are located in the deep south on the border with Malaysia, a restive hotspot where Muslim insurgents have engaged in clashes with the central government.

The flooding from the annual monsoon rains prompted residents to use small boats for transportation in Pattani province, according to an AFP photographer on site.

All five victims drowned, an official with the disaster management hotline told AFP.

Nearby in Songhkla province, a road collapsed under a car, forming a small ravine with the car stuck at the bottom. The driver was not injured.

More than 380,000 people from eight southern provinces have been affected by the rising waters in the southern Thailand but no formal evacuation plan has been announced.

Southeast Asia is frequently affected by seasonal downpours. In October, Vietnam struggled to deal with flooding that killed more than 70 people.