Tropical storm Pabuk has begun to batter southern Thailand with torrential rain and strong winds in what is forecast to be the worst storm in three decades.
The storm made landfall at 12.45pm local time (5.45am UK time), slamming into the province of Nakhon Si Thammarat.
A fisherman is the first victim of the storm, as officials claimed he was among the crew of a boat that capsized in strong winds near the coast of Pattani province. Another one of the crew members was also reported missing, but four others were safe.
Pabuk is expect to move across southern Thailand with officials warning “there won’t be anything left” at popular beach resorts.
The south-east Asian country’s tourist beach resorts and coastal villages are set to be battered by the powerful tropical storm on Friday afternoon.
Pabuk was forecast to travel across southern Thailand towards Surat Thani, home to the popular tourist islands of Koh Samui, Koh Tao and Koh Phangan.
Rain is already falling around the Gulf of Thailand and officials warned that torrential downpours, strong winds and rough seas are forecast in 16 provinces.
There are fears the storm will be the worst to hit Thailand since 1989 when Typhoon Gay left more than 400 dead.
Local official Dahloh Bin Samah has warned those staying in the areas to evacuate.
He said: “You can’t stay around here. These will all be razed down. Every monsoon, beachfront restaurants around here are damaged every year.
“But this time, we got a tropical storm coming. There won’t be anything left. Nothing.”
News of the storm has sent thousands of people flocking to shelter inland and towards two major airports.
Weather officials warned of torrential downpours and strong winds in 15 provinces in the Thai south, home to one of the world's largest natural rubber plantations and several islands thronged by tourists.
"The strong winds are forecast with waves up to 3 to 5 meters high in the Gulf and 2 to 3 meters high in the Andaman Sea. All ships (should) keep ashore," the Thai Meteorological Department said in a statement early on Friday.
The conditions would persist into Saturday, it added.
Travel blog author, Jordan Bishop, said he is going to have to ride out the storm on Koh Phangan as all the ferries to and from the island have stopped, in anticipation of the storm.
He said: "My friends and I are based all over Koh Phangan, and we're each hiding away in our bungalows and homes, hoping the storm won't be too violent.
"Frankly, there isn't much travel advice to give when it comes to Koh Phangan. If you aren't here already, you can't get here, since all the ferries are shut down. And if you aren't here, the message is obvious: don't come until it's over.
"Only time will tell how much damage Pabuk causes."
Over the past few days, 6,176 people have been evacuated to shelters from Nakhon Si Thammarat as well as the provinces of Pattani, Songkhla and Yala, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation has said.
The Nakhon Si Thammarat airport announced it had closed, and low-cost Nok Airlines Pcl said it had cancelled all eight flights to and from the province.
The Surat Thani airport will also close from Friday afternoon to Saturday, cancelling flights by Nok Airlines, Lion Air, and Thai Smile, a subsidiary of national carrier Thai Airways.
Earlier, Bangkok Airways Pcl also announced it had cancelled all flights to and from the holiday destination of Koh Samui, where ferry services have also been suspended.
National energy company PTT Exploration and Production Pcl said it had suspended operations at Bongkot and Erawan, two of the country's biggest gas fields in the Gulf of Thailand.
