Heavy rains have lashed lower central and southern provinces in Thailand as new storms brew in the Gulf of Thailand.

The Meteorological Department has reported that a low pressure cell recently downgraded from a depression is covering parts of the Gulf of Thailand, bringing rains to many provinces, including Phetchaburi, Prachuap Kirikhan and Surat Thani.

The pressure cell is expected to move towards the Andaman Sea on November 9, easing wet conditions in affected areas.

According to Prachuap Kirikhan Governor Veera Sriwattanatrakul, disaster prevention units and army personnel are offering assistance to residents hit by heavy overnight rains, which uprooted trees along roads and flooded a number of communities. Major roads are submerged under water 50 centimeters deep, sending people fleeing to safer ground.

Meanwhile, typhoon Haiyan has slammed into the Philippines, killing at least three people. The typhoon, equivalent to a category 5 hurricane, is the strongest storm to hit the Pacific region this year. It is also forecast to make landfall near Vietnam during November 10-11, bringing scattered rains to the northeast of Thailand .-VNA