In brief
Bangkok has gone into a flood emergency after two days of relentless rain, with roads now submerged and the city’s canals overflowing. All 50 districts have been declared emergency zones as authorities warn residents to stay indoors and move belongings to higher floors. Thai authorities are pumping water, but drainage systems remain overwhelmed. No casualties have been reported yet, though the city braced for further flooding over the coming week.
A flood emergency disaster has been declared across Bangkok after 48 hours of heavy rain left roads in the Thai capital submerged.
People are urged to stay at home, while those living near the network of canals are advised to move belongings to upper floors.
Thunderstorms, common this time of year in Thailand, have overwhelmed the city’s drainage system, causing traffic chaos on roads that are already notoriously congested.
Rain is expected to continue into Sunday, heightening fears that more canals could burst their banks.
Somkid Pheuk-ngam, a 67‑year‑old shopkeeper near a canal north of central Bangkok, told AFP the water keeps rising: “The water keeps coming in. It’s hard to go out now. It’s at waist‑level.”
She said the water levels appear worse than in 2011, when nearly 800 people died in nationwide flooding. No casualties have been reported in Bangkok so far.
The Thai Meteorological Service expects more heavy rain through the week, though the low‑pressure area that triggered the deluge is moving toward central Thailand.
All 50 of Bangkok’s districts have been declared emergency zones. Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the eastern part of the city has been hardest hit, and that while efforts to pump water continue, every canal is now full, putting residents near the waterways at high risk.
