Eight dead in Thailand floods since mid-September

Eight people have died in flooding in Thailand since Sept 16, although none in the capital Bangkok which declared a disaster this weekend following heavy rains, the government said Monday.

The eight died in eastern provinces – five in Sa Kaeo, two in Chanthaburi and one in Saraburi – according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), which did not give further details.

Not including Bangkok, more than 500,000 housesholds and 1.7 million people across 27 provinces in the Southeast Asian country have been affected by flooding, the DDPM said.

A further 52,000 households were impacted in the capital, which on Saturday declared a city-wide disaster after almost 48 hours of heavy rain swelled canals and flooded roads.

No deaths have been officially reported in Bangkok, and the DDPM said water levels had stabilised.

However, AFP reporters saw heavy rain and flooding in at least one eastern neighbourhood, with residents wading through thigh-high waters.

Schools have been closed and people urged to work from home – a call that many heeded, with streets and public transport networks noticeably quieter on Monday morning.

“Some areas in Bangkok are still facing high water levels,” government spokesman Ekkapob Pianpises told a news briefing.

Drainage systems had reduced water levels to the point that more people could travel, he added.

Thailand is used to wet weather and September is the peak of the rainy season, but many residents said this year seemed worse than previous ones.