Floods in southern Thailand kill 15

BANGKOK, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The massive flood has claimed 15 lives and affected more than 900,000 people in Thailand's southern provinces, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department announced on Tuesday.

Chayapol Thitisak, director general of the department, said that the monsoon rains started from Nov. 25 to Dec. 4 have drowned 15 and hit 96,0126 people in 10 provinces in the south.

He said flood water in Krabi province had receded but 4,590 villages in other nine provinces were still under water.

According to the local media, some villages have been cut off from the outside world with flood water rising to three to four meters. Many communities in low-lying areas had been flooded, with houses nearly submerged after a river embankment collapsed on Sunday.

The severe floods also forced schools to close in 11 provinces. Enditem