UUM deputy vice-chancellor Ahmad Martadha Mohamed said members of the group, in Hatyai for a cultural exchange programme, were from the school of accountancy.

“All students are reported safe, and the university is coordinating the necessary steps to ensure their programme can continue smoothly once the situation improves,” Ahmad said in a statement today.

Ten members of a tourism delegation were also stranded in Hatyai after entering Thailand via the Padang Besar border checkpoint yesterday.

Cuti-Cuti Langkawi Sdn Bhd general manager Baharin Baharom, who is leading the group, said they have remained at their hotel since yesterday evening as the surrounding area is flooded.

“At about 10am today, the electricity supply to the hotel was cut off, and the management informed us that a generator would be used in case of emergency,” he said.

He said the hotel, with the help of local Thai travel agents, provided free halal meals for lunch and dinner to all stranded tourists.