Rescue teams waded through flooded roads to save stranded residents as Thailand was hit with heavy rain.

Hours of heavy rain on May 16 battered villages in Nakhon Ratchasima province in the northeast of the country with water reaching up to five feet deep.

Authorities said some 50 houses were swamped after runoff from a cassava plantation flowed into the pottery village of Dan Kwian. The flooding is said to be some of the worst to hit the region in more than a decade.

The sudden rise in water level, paired with strong currents, trapped residents inside their houses. Volunteers on boats crossed the deluge to help the villagers and their pets evacuate. Government workers also opened the drains to alleviate flooding from roads adjoining Nakhon Ratchasima city.

The water reportedly began receding at 6 pm local time.

Thailand's Meteorological Department said the country officially entered its rainy season on May 13. Bouts of rain showers are expected to occur until mid-October, with a dry spell possibly occurring mid-June to mid-July due to the El Nino and La Nina phenomena.

During the annual monsoon rainy season, soaring temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius are often followed by powerful tropical storms with thunder, lightning, rain and flash floods which cause rivers to flow faster and become dangerous.

Neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines also experience the annual rainy season at the same time.