Severe floods in nine provinces in the South have killed seven people, four of them in the worst-hit Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Much of Nakhon Si Thammarat has been battered by the floods from persistent heavy downpours which crippled vast residential areas and government offices.

Pithakpol Boonyamalik, Public Health Ministry inspector, said even though the deluge swept through the province fast, water has begun to stabilise.

Damage was being assessed and emergency responses have been launched to help flood victims.

Meanwhile, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) said seven people have died as a result of the floods which also injured many, including a 14-month-old toddler who has been admitted to an intensive care unit at a hospital in Nakhon Si Thammarat which is almost completely under water.

The other southern provinces affected by floods are Surat Thani, Phatthalung, Trang, Satun, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. In all, 261,253 households in 70 districts have been hit by the floods.

Nakhon Si Thammarat airport remains open.

However, parts of the road to the airport were impassable to small vehicles.