Troops and machinery were deployed to aid cleanup efforts in flood-ravaged southern Thailand.

Army spokesman Major General Winthai Suvaree said heavy equipment were mobilised for relief efforts as residents begin rebuilding their lives upended by the flood crisis.

Footage shows backhoes scooping rubbish from the littered streets of Songkhla, where at least 142 people were killed.

Trucks, multi-purpose tracked vehicles, fibreglass boats, engine boats, aircraft, and drones were also sent to support evacuations and aid distribution.

The army general said: 'The Royal Thai Army, through the Department of Military Engineering and the 4th Army Area Disaster Relief Center, has deployed over 1,000 personnel, equipped with military equipment and tools, to expedite the task of removing obstacles, managing waste, opening transportation routes, cleaning public areas, and restoring the environment. This operation is ongoing round the clock to ensure the area can return to normal as quickly as possible.'

He added that the army has been assigned a 1,895-acre zone in the Hat Yai district, where a field kitchen and two field water treatment units were installed to provide food and potable water amid a shortage.

At least 267 were killed in the catastrophic floods, described by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul as 'the worst flooding in 15 years', that swept through southern Thailand last month.

The premier has 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 142 recorded 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.