Patients and medical staff were evacuated when floodwaters surged into a hospital in northern Thailand.

The Lanna 3 Hospital announced it was only accepting emergency patients as water from the swollen Ping River in Chiang Mai province gushed into the building on September 25.

The deluge swamped the reception area and several examination rooms in some six inches of water.

Hospital officials said 'non-urgent' patient examinations will be deferred until September 30 when the flood is expected to recede.

A cafe employee working near the hospital said: 'The flood started in the afternoon. Within 2 hours, the area around the hospital was submerged. An urgent evacuation was announced because the water flowed down to the basement very quickly. After that, the level started to rise until it the building itself was flooded.'

Officials said the water level had decreased by four inches today, September 26, though the hospital was still heavily flooded.

Heavy rains have been ravaging northern Thailand in recent weeks. The seasonal downpours have caused severe floods as rivers bordering Myanmar spilled over into communities.

Thailand and neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia are in their annual monsoon rainy season which sees soaring temperatures followed by powerful rain storms in the afternoon leading to widespread flash floods.