Floods and Slides Kill at Least 329 in Thailand, Malaysia

Search teams working amid the stench of decaying bodies dug through a wasteland of mud, logs and shattered houses Saturday in a bid to reach victims of flooding and landslides that have killed at least 329 people and left hundreds of others missing in southern Thailand and Malaysia.

“This is the worst disaster in the history of” southern Thailand, Deputy Interior Minister Trairong Suwannakhiri said.

Foreign Minister Siddhi Savetsila told reporters in Bangkok: “In addition to the loss of lives, there is great loss of property. I appeal to the nations of the world and international organizations to assist the stricken areas.”

‘Massive Devastation’

The U.S. Embassy said American and Canadian officials flew over affected areas and found “massive devastation.”

“They have made a recommendation to provide appropriate aid, and we are hoping to hear from Washington on this very soon,” embassy spokesman Ross Petzing said.

Officials in Thailand and Malaysia said the death toll from six days of flooding and landslides rose to at least 329--31 of those in Malaysia, which was also hit hard. Another 688 people were injured and more than 800 were reported missing. Trairong said he expected the death toll to reach 1,000.

Thailand’s Nakhon Sithammarat province, 360 miles south of Bangkok, was the worst-hit area in heavy rains that began Nov. 19 and stopped Friday. In one area, 17 inches of rain were recorded, and officials blamed illegal logging for waves of mud and logs that surged down the hillsides, burying four villages and damaging several others.