Rescue teams battle through raging floods in northern Thailand

Rescue teams battled through torrential floods as severe downpours lashed northern Thailand, causing landslides that have killed at least three people.

Video shows personnel wading and swimming through the gushing deluge across submerged streets in Chiang Rai province on September 11. They delivered relief goods to stranded residents by boat, and evacuated locals whose homes were severely flooded.

Flood-stricken families were taken to a relief centre where a mobile relief kitchen was providing food.

In an update on September 11, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said three bodies, including a boy and a girl, were found buried under waterlogged debris in neighbouring Chiang Mai. More are feared dead from the catastrophic flooding.

The first landslide hit the Ban Doi Laem community and killed a woman Kayarat Pafu, 23. The second hit the Ban Lai Ai community, injuring two men who were sent to the Mae Ai Hospital.

Kritsayam Kongsatri, director of the Protected Areas Regional Office 16, said the search for missing locals was temporarily stopped amid landslide fears.

Communication was also hindered by poor mobile signal and electrical outages.

He said: 'Officers will resume the search for the missing persons once the situation improves. They will coordinate with all relevant agencies to expedite assistance to the affected families as much as possible.'

Northern Thailand has been battered by continuous heavy rain since September 8 due to Typhoon Yagi's influence.

Yagi, said to be Asia's most powerful storm this year, was downgraded to a tropical storm on Sunday morning, September 8. It killed at least 15 people in the Philippines before slamming into southern China and Vietnam, where it left at least 49 dead and 22 missing.

The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) had forecasted isolated heavy rains with gusty winds across the northern and northeastern regions as remnants of the cyclone strengthened the monsoon.