24-11-2025 (BANGKOK) The Governor of Songkhla province issued an urgent, mandatory evacuation order for residents of Hat Yai municipality on Monday, with authorities racing to move people to safety before 4:00 PM local time as floodwaters are projected to exceed three meters in low-lying areas. The situation reached a critical level following continuous heavy rainfall across the southern Thai province, compounded by a massive volume of runoff water flowing from the adjacent Sadao district.
The rising water has crippled the city’s transportation network, forcing the Songkhla Provincial Transport Office to temporarily suspend service on 72 local and inter-provincial bus routes due to terminals and roads being submerged. In the most severely impacted neighborhoods, flood currents are so deep and powerful that standard emergency vehicles, including large trucks, are unable to enter, requiring the immediate deployment of high-powered rescue boats and specialized equipment.
Three primary evacuation centers have been established to accommodate displaced citizens, located at Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla Rajabhat University, and Naval Area Command 2. Authorities are now focusing all available resources on completing the evacuation before nightfall, with teams continuing search-and-rescue operations as they monitor peak water levels in the coming hours.
