A soldier was missing, believed drowned, in Narathiwat yesterday after his boat crashed into a bridge late on Wednesday.
He was on his way to help villagers affected by flash floods which continue to wreak havoc in the far South.
Marine Corps divers sent to look for Sgt Maj 1st Class Channarong Malichuen failed to locate his body and called off their search yesterday after the accident on the Sungai Kolok River on Wednesday night.
The soldier, along with other members of the 1,914th infantry company in Narathiwat, was ordered to evacuate villagers from the badly flooded Hua Saphan community in Sungai Kolok municipality.
He was reported missing after his boat capsized in strong currents and crashed into a pillar of a railway bridge.
The water levels in Narathiwat's three main rivers — the Sungai Kolok, Bang Nara and Sai Buri — have risen at a rapid rate as a result of runoff from the Sangalakhili mountain range, which followed five days of heavy downpours.
The rain has also caused flash floods in many areas, especially in villages and communities located by the rivers.
Eight villages near the Sungai Kolok river are among the hardest hit.
Floodwater up to two metres deep has forced at least 130 villagers to evacuate to a temporary shelter at a school in Sungai Kolok Municipality area.
Villagers from four communities along the same river in Tak Bai district are also struggling against flash floods while traffic in tambon Lo Jut and Gayu Khla in Waeng district has been diverted due to high water levels on main roads.
Nine schools in Waeng and Suhkiri districts have also been force to shut by the deluge.
Narathiwat governor Natthaphong Sirichana has declared three of the province's 13 districts — Tak Bai, Waeng and Sukhiri — disaster zones to seek immediate financial help.
Officials are keeping a close watch on flooding in other districts and the governor will gradually announce more disaster zones if the situation becomes more critical.
Heavy rainfall has also caused problems for people travelling between Thailand and Malaysia.
The Sungai Kolok border checkpoint was closed after flooding on the Malaysian side of the border in Kelantan state forced the closure of government offices.
In Yala, a mudslide slammed into a house in Than To district in the early hours of yesterday morning, killing one girl and injuring her parents.
The girl, named as Suhaila Ngachu, 7, died at the scene while her mother and father was rushed to Than To Hospital.
Heavy downpours also caused flooding in Krong Pinang, Yaha and Than To districts, affecting many residents.
At least 10 families in Ban Poyani Moo 3 in Muang district were forced to evacuate their homes and move to higher ground.
Travel along roads has also become dangerous.
People yesterday had to hang on to ropes which officials had tied between electricity poles to make their way through raging floodwater, as the conditions were too precarious for them to walk unaided.
In Songkhla, officials from Hat Yai municipality were put on high alert for possible flooding with the water level in Khlong Utapao continuing to rise after several days of heavy downpours.
Parts of Hat Yai's business zone in tambon Thung Tamsao have also been hit by floods, which has forced two schools to suspend classes.