What was meant to be a simple holiday turned into a days-long survival experience for Malaysian tourist Sharifah Husna, who found herself stranded with her friends in Hatyai during one of the worst floods to hit the area.
Everything seemed fine upon arrival
Thursday, 20 November 2025
Husna and her friends arrived in Hatyai from Krabi after hours of light rain along the route. The weather didn’t raise any concerns then. They checked into The Bed Hotel Hatyai, expecting the rain to clear by the next day.
The first signs of trouble
Friday, 21 November 2025
Instead of improving, the rain intensified. By 6pm, floodwater had risen ankle-deep. Even at 8pm, the water level remained the same.
Despite the downpour, the group left their hotel to get dinner. Roads were already closing as water entered multiple lanes. After dinner, they attempted to return, only to find the access road to their hotel completely submerged.
The group saw many motorbikes stuck in the water from having water enter the exhaust, so they did not dare ride through the water. Husna and her friends took shelter at a laundromat as the rain continued relentlessly.
Image credit: Husna
By 1am, not being able to wait the rain out any longer, they covered the motorcycles’ exhausts with plastic bags and pushed them through rising water—already at calf level—towards the hotel. They secured their rental bikes at the highest spot they could find, then returned to their room to pack and charge their devices. They were scheduled to return home by bus the next day, but little did they know, they were going to be stranded in Hatyai for another four days.
Flooding escalated to waist-deep overnight
Image credit: Husna
Saturday, 22 November 2025
This was the group’s scheduled day to return home by bus. However, when Husna woke up, the water level had already risen to waist-level. Even the hotel lobby was flooded. All guests were locked in the hotel.
By the afternoon, electricity was cut, followed later by the water supply. Volunteers delivered simple meals—white rice, pad krapao chicken, and bottled water—twice that day. By evening, the floodwater had reached chest level. All they could do was wait for help.
Evacuation begins
Sunday, 23 November 2025
Although the rain began slowing down, the water level was still rising slowly. Hotel staff informed guests they would be relocated to a safer location with electricity and clean water.
At around 1.40pm, a rescue team arrived with a truck and evacuated everyone to Lotus Supermarket—the only place not submerged in the area. They were told Malaysian police forces would be there waiting for evacuees, but once they arrived, the police were nowhere to be seen.
Confused and shivering from constant exposure to the rain, Husna and her friends booked a room at another hotel to charge their phones and rest. That night, they tried searching for commercial buses to go home. Flight prices were through the roof, and no rescue efforts were communicated to them yet.
Their prayers were answered. Suddenly, through the WhatsApp group “Hatyai SOS,” they learned that stranded Malaysians could register for buses heading to Bukit Kayu Hitam. Husna managed to secure a spot in the first bus list, but all passengers were told to gather at Central Hatyai Mall.
Rescue buses could not reach the evacuees due to second wave of floods
Monday, 24 November 2025
Husna and her friends arrived early at Central Festival Mall (aka Central Hatyai). However, the buses were delayed due to a second wave of floods. The mall provided a shelter area for flood victims on Level 5, where they waited the entire day.
Despite hours of waiting, the rescue buses that were supposed to take evacuees to the Malaysia-Thai border that night never made it.
Safely reached KL at 4am
Tuesday, 25 November 2025
The situation worsened. Waters rose to roof level in some areas, and many Malaysians remained trapped in hotels.
In the “Hatyai SOS” group, volunteers from United Sikhs Malaysia announced that their lorries were on the way to rescue evacuees from Central Festival Mall. At 1.45pm, three lorries under Team Sunil Singh arrived. Husna and her friends managed to board one of them and were taken to Sadao.
From there, they were transferred to FTC Al Fauzan Rescue Team buses, which brought them to the Bukit Kayu Hitam customs checkpoint. After clearing immigration, they were taken to FTC Al Fauzan Thailand Insurance before being placed onto buses heading to Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
Husna and her group finally reached TBS at 4am.
Gratitude for swift rescue operations
Husna expressed immense gratitude to all parties involved in the rescue efforts—from Thai responders to Malaysian teams and independent volunteers like Team Sunil Singh from United Sikhs Malaysia. Every group worked tirelessly despite difficult conditions.
However, she also highlighted that some Malaysians were still stranded in flooded hotels as water levels in certain areas remained stubbornly high.
To Malaysians still stuck in Hatyai
According to this TikTok video, Malaysians who are still stranded in Hatyai are instructed to make your way to Central Festival Mall where Malaysian rescue teams are there if the flood waters in their area have gone down to safer levels, or fill in this sheet and update your status should you decide to move. If the flood worsens, please stay at your hotel first.
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