Swathes of agricultural and residential areas were left waterlogged after heavy rains battered southern Thailand.

Drone footage shows the deluge submerging roads in the province as locals fled their homes using boats in Trat province.

Some 100 villagers were trapped in their houses after the water level rapidly rose due to the region's basin-shaped topography.

Flash floods up to three feet deep submerged a pavilion and a crematorium in the Wat Pranit area, sparking evacuations to higher ground.

Local authorities were on the ground to distribute relief goods to flood-stricken families.

A villager Suphakin Boonsawan, 49, said: 'I was sleeping when I heard a loud noise like a waterfall. It was around 4 am, and when I got up, the water had already started flooding into the house. We rushed to move our belongings and help each other escape the water. By this morning, the flood had receded a bit.'

Singha Soongsakul, chief executive of Pranit Subdistrict Administration Organisation, said drainage systems were overwhelmed by the all-night rains, flooding seven villages.

He said: 'More than 5,000 rai of orchards were submerged, but the water has started to go down slightly. If there is no more rain, the situation should improve in a day or two. The Subdistrict Administrative Organisation urges everyone to stay alert and be ready to evacuate case in case it rains again.'

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.