Four dead in Bangkok floods as Thailand toll rises to 23: ministry

Four people have died in Bangkok after heavy rains caused widespread flooding, the government said 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.

September is the peak of Thailand's rainy season, but many Bangkok residents said this year's floods seemed worse than previous ones.

The city is built on former marshlands and is intersected by a network of canals, many of them heavily flooded by the rains.

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.

Scientists warn the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events will increase as global warming accelerates because of fossil fuel emissions.

AFP

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