Schools have begun cleanup operations as devastating floods receded in southern Thailand.

Teachers surveyed the carnage at Ban Na Khuanlung School in Songkhla province on November 28, a day after the deluge that engulfed the campus for five days drained away.

Floodwaters had reportedly risen to more than 10ft, ripping through classrooms, smashing windows and ceilings, and destroying teaching materials.

Staff were collecting what little was left of their equipment as they prepared to reopen the school.

Footage shows a bulldozer arriving to scoop up the wreckage as teachers and volunteers swept up the muddy aftermath of the flood.

A teacher said: 'The school has over 800 pupils, most of whom come from poor families whose homes were also flooded. Their textbooks, uniforms and even everyday clothes have been wiped out. This flooding is one of the worst we've experienced.'

Streets were sewn with debris and mud-covered furniture as residents began to return to their homes near a canal.

Stores, including small eateries and karaoke bars, were left in ruins as all their kitchenware and equipment were swept away.

Desperate vendors said they tried to pick through the debris for anything usable, but many were left empty-handed. They urged local authorities to restore power and water to the area so they can begin rebuilding their lives.

The death toll reached 176 as the catastrophic floods, described by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul as 'the worst flooding in 15 years', swept through southern Thailand.

The premier on Saturday apologised for the government's bungled flood response amid public outrage, telling them 'that the government was unable to take care and protect them'.

Songkhla province suffered the highest death toll, with 131 fatalities. Hat Yai district was among the worst-hit areas, recording a staggering 13 inches (335 mm) of rainfall in a single day on November 21.

The Southern Eastern Meteorological Centre said a strong monsoon trough had caused the heavy rainfall.

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.