BANGKOK FLOODS FORCE THOUSANDS INTO SHELTERS

More than 300mm of rain fell in two days in parts of Thailand’s capital, inundating homes, shops and roads.

Thousands of Bangkok residents awoke in shelters on Sunday after flooding triggered by days of heavy rain in the Thai capital inundated homes and roads, with some starting to dry out their homes and belongings.

Nearly 4,900 people have been evacuated to shelters, with about 52,000 households affected by the floods, which prompted a disaster declaration across the capital, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).

More than 330mm of rain fell in some areas of the city between Thursday and Sunday, the weather agency said.

Thailand is used to wet weather and September is the peak of the rainy season, but several Bangkok residents said this year was worse.

“Our house was under water for about 30 hours,” office worker Kosin Nilset, who lives along the Premprachakorn canal on the outskirts of the capital, said on Sunday morning.

“This time, the water level is higher than the 2011 flood,” the 44-year-old said.

Widespread deluges across the south-east Asian country in 2011 killed more than 500 people and damaged millions of homes.

Kosin and his family lifted their belongings once they saw the water level was higher than the canal retaining wall, but their ground floor was still left soaked.

“At least tap water and electricity are working,” Kosin said, as he used a broom to sweep out water.

- AFP

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