Had Yai Mayor Prai Pattano said flood waters have inundated 80 percent of the overall area of Had Yai and around 30,000 households have been already affected by flooding.

The mayor said the situation is much more severe than the flooding that hit the city in 2000.

Songkhla Governor Winyu Thongsakul said all 16 districts in the province were stricken by floods and the situation was most severe in Had Yai. He said flooding in Had Yai is unpreventable and the water levels may reach two meters on Tuesday.

Surat Thani Governor Thirayuth Aiumtrakul declared 16 districts in the Southern province of Surat Thani were declared disaster zones on Tuesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, an official and a rescuer went missing when a lifeboat collapsed while they were trying to rescue flood-hit people in Chana district.

Songkhla province has been hit by depression which resulted in consecutive days of heavy rains since last Friday. Worst flooding in ten years have widely paralyzed Had Yai, the business hub and tourist attraction in the South.