The lifesavers struggled to reach villagers stranded by heavy rains in southern Thailand. The death toll from floods climbed to 31 with one person missing. Torrential rains have lashed 14 southern provinces since late November. They include the three insurgency-plagued provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala. The act of God flooding homes and cutting off power supplies. Villagers being evacuated from their homes by wooden boats, as the local television showed. The floods have affected more than 671,000 people, said the government. Thaksin Shinawatra, the Prime Minister, said, he would visit the submerged region to inspect the damage. In the largest city of southern Thailand, Hat Yai, flood damage was estimated at $24 million.

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