BANGKOK: Four people have died in Bangkok after heavy rains caused widespread flooding, the government said on Tuesday, as the toll from floods across Thailand since mid-September rose to 23.
Around 700,000 people have been affected by floods in the capital, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), which detailed the fatalities. Parts of Bangkok remained water-logged on Tuesday, three days after city authorities declared a city-wide disaster following almost 48 hours of continuous rain. Schools remained shut for a second day, while almost 7,000 people stayed in more than 230 shelters across the city, according to Bangkok authorities.
In a statement, the DDPM said flooding had hit 29 of Thailand's 77 provinces. Four people died in Bangkok, eight in Samut Prakan, which lies between the capital and the sea, and six in Sa Kaeo, an eastern province, it said. The remaining deaths were recorded in Chanthaburi, southeast of Bangkok, Ayutthaya and Saraburi, two provinces to the north of the capital.
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
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