Bangkok - Floods caused by heavy rains have claimed 15 lives in southern Thailand, officials said Monday.

Heavy rains sparked flash floods in Thailand's southernmost provinces of Songkhla, Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala over the weekend, affecting hundreds of thousands of people, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation officials said.

In Narathiwat province, the floods claimed at least 10 lives, affected 124,335 residents and prompted the government to evacuate 1,697 households.

Flooding is common in the region during the monsoon season, which lasts from June to October.

Floodwaters forced the State Railways of Thailand to shut down operations over the four provinces at the weekend because water covered the train tracks.

The predominantly Muslim region has not been popular among Western tourists since January 2004 when a long-simmering separatist movement turned more violent. Altogether, more than 3,200 people have died from the violence over the past five years. (dpa)