"I admit that this time flooding is very serious and as we cannot drain the water to the sea. I have ordered officials to block the city center from flooding," Thaksin told reporters in northern Sukhothai province.

Hat Yai, the largest city in southern Thailand, is a "bath tub" after receiving days of torrential rain, leaving 30 percent of the city underwater, Songkhla provincial governor Somporn Chaibanyang said.

"We are able to block the city center in Hat Yai by pumping water out and if there is no more rainfall, I think we can handle it," he told AFP.

"Hat Yai worries us very much because it's like a bath tub receiving waters from elsewhere."

The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said, as of late Monday, two people had been electrocuted in Pattalung province, while another died in Yala province. Three people are missing in Pattalung, Yala and Narathiwat provinces.

Army helicopters had airlifted 12 patients from Nong Chik hospital in Pattani province after flood waters reached 2.0 meters (79 inches), the Interior Ministry said.

Helicopters were also dropping food, water and other supplies to people stranded on their roofs across Yala and Pattani, the ministry said.

Nine people have died in Songkhla province where all 16 districts are flooded. They are among the 27 people killed since the flooding began across nine southern provinces in late November.

At least 600,000 people have been stranded by or suffered property damage in the floods, the disaster center said late Sunday.

Thaksin said he had assigned Interior Minister Kongsak Vantana and Kongsak's deputy to supervise relief efforts, and had ordered the navy to distribute food and other essentials to those stranded.

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