Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the government intends to compensate every household affected by flooding in the South with 9,000 baht.

The aid is similar to payouts made to those recently affected by floods in the North.

Local authorities are assessing the damage, both to people's houses and public utilities in areas where the water has caused damage.

Mr Anutin, also the Interior Minister, said the government has approved 70 million baht for emergency use in flooded provinces.

The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) is also coordinating with local authorities in what have been declared official disaster areas. "In principle, the payment of 9,000 baht per household should be applied to the South just as it was for those hit by floods in the North," he said.

If the measure to compensate flood victims is approved by the cabinet, the money will be transferred directly to the accounts of each affected household.

Phatsakorn Bunyalak, DDPM director-general, said heavy downpours that began on Thursday resulted in the worst flooding in the South for decades.

The flood inundated 640,581 homes in 87 districts across 10 provinces and claimed the lives of 12 people, he said. Townships were underwater and locals stranded.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra will visit flood victims in Songkhla and Pattani on Friday and has ordered Prommin Lertsuridej, the PM's secretary-general, to expedite assistance.