UPDATE - 33 killed, nearly 1M families impacted as severe floods hit Southern Thailand

UPDATES WITH DEATH TOLL; CHANGES HEAD, DECK, LEDE

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) - Thirty-three people lost their lives as severe floods hit southern Thailand on Wednesday, while more than one million families nationwide were impacted.

Government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat said Nakhon Si Thammarat province recorded nine deaths, Songkhla province six deaths and Pattani and Yala provinces saw five deaths each, according to local media outlet The Nation.

The Flood Crisis Operations Center urged local residents to evacuate when alerted, as the weather crisis in Southern Thailand could worsen.

More than 980,000 families across nine provinces -- Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla, Phatthalung, Pattani, Narathiwat, Yala, Trang, Satun, and Surat Thani -- have been affected by flooding, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

Thailand's Meteorological Department earlier issued a fresh alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall and flash floods in the nine regions.

Meanwhile, the 33rd Southeast Asian Games events scheduled to be held in Songkhla will now be relocated to the capital city Bangkok due to ongoing flooding.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul declared a state of emergency on Tuesday in Songkhla and the supreme commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces has been appointed as the lead official responsible for managing the emergency response.