BANGKOK - Seventeen provinces in Thailand's upper part of the north, northeast and central have been declared cold spell disaster zones, Bangkok Post on-line reported on Wednesday. ?

The area includes a total of 13,004 villages, Wibul Sanguanpong, director general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, said on Wednesday.

The provinces are northern province of Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, Phrae, Nan, Phayao and Lampang, northeastern province of Uttaradit, Sakon Nakhon, Lei, Nong Khai, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Kalasin, Buri Ram, central provinces of Suphanburi, Tak and Ratchaburi, Wibul said.

The department has distributed warm clothing to people in these provinces.

Thailand has recently faced the worst flooding in nearly 50 years and is in the stage of recovering. The flood has killed more than 700 people so far.