Thailand floods affect hundreds of thousands

BANGKOK: Heavy rains have killed eight people in Thailand since mid-September, the government said on Monday as Bangkok battled flooding for a fourth consecutive day, with at least eight more confirmed dead in neighbouring Myanmar.
The casualties in Thailand have occurred in three eastern provinces since September 16, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, with none reported in the capital.
More than 500,000 households and 1.7 million people across 27 provinces have been impacted by floods in Thailand after an intense weather system hit the region, it said.
In neighbouring Myanmar, rescuers said heavy floods and landslides in the southern region of Tanintharyi had killed at least eight people, with up to 30 more missing. Three of the recovered bodies were teenagers who had gathered at a local monastery on Sunday.
They were swept away by a landslide that hit their village, burying 18 buildings, according to local volunteer Hein Htet, in Launglon township. Pumping stations have been operating at full capacity for days, but Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said Sunday it could take 'up to a week' for the waters to fully drain. — AFP