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The boat ferrying the family capsized due to strong currents.
December 03, 2025, 03:45 PM
The body of a four-year-old girl was found two days after she went missing during the Hat Yai floods in Thailand.
The girl, Amidala “Padme” Arayawat, had fallen into the water on Nov. 25 when the rescue boat ferrying her family capsized in the floodwaters, Thai media reported.
After her disappearance, the girl’s mother sent out a public appeal on Nov. 27 to find the missing girl.
Went missing after rescue boat capsized
According to previous posts from the girl’s mother, Padme and Padme’s brother, along with the mother, were trapped in their home in Banja Road in Hat Yai as the floodwaters rose past the first floor.
She said it would be “difficult to survive” if the floods reached the second floor, and added that she was considering swimming over to a neighbour’s residence.
She also appealed for assistance to evacuate the building.
However, on Nov. 25 at around 7pm, the rescue boat transporting the family capsized near Bangkok Hospital in Hat Yai due to strong currents.
Padme unfortunately slipped out of her mother’s grasp and disappeared into the floodwaters, the appeal said.
She was wearing a blue floral shirt and pink shorts at the time.
Body found
At about 5pm on Nov. 27, the same day the appeal went out, Padme’s mother said in an update that the girl’s body had been found.
This led to an outpouring of condolences from online users for the family’s loss.
On Dec. 2, Padme’s mother shared a tribute post to her deceased daughter, expressing her gratitude for those who reached out.
She also shared her prayer that Padme would be “a guardian angel” watching over her family from heaven.
More about the flooding
Persistent heavy rain led to severe flooding across the Hat Yai district in Thailand’s southern border province of Songkhla starting from Nov. 21.
By the next afternoon, 13 of Songkhla’s 16 districts had been declared disaster zones.
Numerous people ended up stranded in hotels and other buildings due to the floodwaters, including at least eight Singaporeans.
Local authorities mobilised the likes of boats, high-clearance trucks and even jet skis to evacuate residents.
As of Dec. 1, Thailand’s Public Health Ministry said the death toll from the flooding had reached 170, although estimates from the ground have reported a higher number of 500 to 1,000 casualties.
Top image from Article Yeean Ticha/Facebook & Amornrat Angsanakul/Facebook
