Authorities in Thailand will deploy helicopters on Wednesday (Nov 26) to evacuate critically ill patients from a major hospital in the flood-hit south, where some of the worst flooding in years has raised the death toll to 33, with more rain on the way. Flooding has swept through nine provinces in Thailand and eight states in neighbouring Malaysia for the second year in a row, forcing both countries to move nearly 45,000 people to safer areas. In Indonesia, floods and landslides this week left an estimated eight to 13 people dead, while Malaysia reported one fatality.

In Hat Yai, the worst-hit Thai city, officials said helicopters will deliver food and evacuate patients after floodwaters swamped the first floor of the main government hospital, which cares for 600 people, including about 50 in intensive care. “All ICU patients will be transferred out of Hat Yai Hospital today,” said Somrerk Chungsaman from the public health ministry. Around 20 helicopters and 200 boats brought in for rescue operations have struggled to reach stranded residents, government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat said. Boats are expected to bring in supplies once water levels fall, with roughly 2,000 people — including patients, relatives and staff — currently in the hospital, Somrerk added.

Hat Yai recorded 335mm of rainfall in a single day last week, the highest in 300 years. Military helicopters are also delivering generators, the navy said, posting images of equipment being moved onto a rooftop under dark clouds. Flooding across the nine affected Thai provinces, including Songkhla where Hat Yai lies, has impacted more than 980,000 homes and 2.7 million people, according to the interior ministry. Weather forecasts warn of more thundershowers and heavy rain across the south on Wednesday.

The Thai military, which took over relief efforts on Tuesday, has been sending aircraft, trucks, flat-bottomed boats, rubber dinghies, medical supplies, and personnel to Hat Yai. Thailand’s only aircraft carrier, the Chakri Naruebet, left port on Tuesday to support air operations, medical aid, and food distribution, the navy said. Photos shared by the army showed rescue teams pulling families — including children and the elderly — from homes engulfed by swirling floodwaters. Many trapped residents turned to social media to call for help. “Please help. I’m very worried about my mother,” one person wrote, saying she had been unable to contact her 53-year-old parent in Hat Yai since Saturday, when supplies had dwindled to one bottle of water and two packs of instant noodles.