Floods, landslides in South | Bangkok Post: business

Yala residents started cleaning up their flood-hit homes on Wednesday as the water receded and Nakhon Si Thammarat airport reopened, following days of heavy rain brought by storms pummeling the South.

Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department chief Wiboon Sanguangpong said heavy rain and flash flooding had wreaked havoc in nine southern provinces since Dec 31, but the situation was abating.

In Yala, life began returning to normal today as almost all of the flood-affected areas in the province have dried out. Only a few low-lying spots remained under water, reports said.

Continuous heavy rain has caused the Pattani and Sai Buri rivers passing through the province to overflow and flood many areas since Saturday.

The floods battered six of Yala's eight districts affecting almost 52,000 people and claimed the life of nine-year-old Sareeta Sa-u, who drowned.

Students are cleaning up their flood-affected school in Yala province on Jan 4, 2012. (Photo by Muhammad Ayub Patan)