Severe flooding has forced thousands of residents into temporary shelters in Bangkok after days of heavy rainfall inundated roads, homes and markets across the Thai capital.
Residents in several neighbourhoods were seen wading through knee-deep floodwaters, while some used small boats or floated belongings in plastic containers to navigate submerged streets.
Nearly 4,900 people have been evacuated to shelters, while about 52,000 households have been affected by the flooding, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, which declared a disaster across the capital.
More than 330 millimetres of rain was recorded in some parts of Bangkok between Thursday and Sunday, the country’s weather agency said.
At a school converted into an emergency shelter, about 100 evacuees sought food, water and temporary accommodation. Some residents said they had received official flood warnings only after water had already entered their homes.
Several shops also reported depleted stocks as residents rushed to purchase essential supplies. The prime minister’s office urged people to avoid panic buying and warned that price gouging was a criminal offence.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said water levels in the city’s canals remained high but authorities were working to accelerate drainage.
Kosin Nilset, a resident near the Premprachakorn canal, said his home was underwater for about 30 hours, adding that the water level was higher than during Thailand’s devastating 2011 floods.
The 2011 floods killed more than 500 people and damaged millions of homes across Thailand.
Flooding was also reported in 25 provinces on Sunday, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, while more than 10,000 soldiers were deployed nationwide to support relief efforts.
Neighbouring Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan provinces also declared several districts disaster zones.
Rain was expected to continue across Bangkok and surrounding provinces on Sunday before easing on Monday, according to the metropolitan administration.
