Flash floods inundated several areas of Thailand's southern island province of Phuket on Monday after heavy overnight rainfall, affecting all three districts including Phuket City, officials said, as the country's long-running flood season claimed fresh damage in the south.

Source: Associated Press via The Business Standard, Oct 26

Water levels began to recede by late morning, but some low-lying areas remained flooded and authorities advised drivers of small vehicles to avoid affected roads, provincial Deputy Governor Romdon Hayiawae said, according to the Associated Press report. Around 100 households were affected, but no casualties had been reported, he said.

The resort town of Patong, in Kathu district, was among the worst hit. Floodwaters carried rocks, mud and debris down hillsides into residential areas and shopping streets overnight, damaging houses, shops and vehicles, the Bangkok Post reported, cited by AFP and dpa reporting. In Patong's Nanai area, runoff shattered shopfront windows and submerged parked cars, according to the Bangkok Post reporting.

Some areas were also hit by mudslides, and officials were clearing debris to prevent it from entering canals and blocking waterways, Romdon said. Emergency crews moved in with heavy equipment to clear roads and open drainage channels.

The Thai Meteorological Department warned that heavy and persistent rainfall could continue across the southern region until Wednesday, raising the risk of further flash floods and landslides.

Wider floods: 83 dead since mid-September

Phuket's floods are the newest front in flooding that has affected several parts of Thailand since mid-September, killing at least 83 people as of Monday, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM).

Source: AHA Centre / ReliefWeb, ASEAN Weekly Disaster Update Week 43

The ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre), citing DDPM figures as of October 26, said the flooding had in total affected 53 provinces and Bangkok — 2.2 million households, or 6.8 million people — and was continuing in 20 provinces and Bangkok, with around 336,000 households, or about 1 million people, still affected, while water levels were receding in all areas.

The AHA Centre said new flooding caused by heavy rainfall was also reported between October 24 and 26 in Trang, Satun, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Phuket, with damage assessments ongoing in Phuket, and that thunderstorms and heavy rainfall were forecast for October 26-27 in parts of the country including Bangkok.