Disaster zone declared across Bangkok as heavy rain triggers flooding

Nonstop rainfall since Thursday has submerged Thai capital’s roads and canals, sending h2o into galore homes and stores.

Bangkok authorities person declared a catastrophe portion crossed each 50 districts of Thailand’s superior aft 3 consecutive days of rainfall caused dense flooding.

The catastrophe designation, which gives section organisations authorization to instrumentality action, came connected Saturday aft Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said astir 300mm (11.8 inches) of rainfall had fallen since Thursday afternoon.

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The nonstop rainfall inundated roads and canals with water, sending h2o into galore homes and stores alongside them, according to reports. Photos and videos showed large roads submerged and cars abandoned aft drivers were incapable to determination done the rising water.

Chadchart said the eastbound of the metropolis was astir impacted and warned that much rainfall was forecast again connected Saturday. He added that flooding should recede erstwhile the rainfall subsides, arsenic metropolis officials enactment to drain floodwaters arsenic rapidly arsenic possible.

“The rainfall keeps falling and we are doing our best. We are trying to pump the h2o out, but the h2o successful canals are full,” helium said connected societal media. “The hazard areas are those who unrecorded adjacent canals. Every canal is present filled.”

Later connected Saturday, the authorities said the flooding concern had “stabilised” but added it would inactive instrumentality 2 oregon 3 days for the h2o to drain, arsenic agelong arsenic the rainfall held off. “If much rainwater doesn’t autumn successful the area, it volition beryllium solved,” helium said.

People locomotion past abandoned vehicles connected a flooded Phetchaburi Road successful Bangkok connected September 26, 2026 [Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP]

Chadchart besides advised residents to determination their cars to higher ground, arsenic Bangkok’s nationalist transport authorization offered escaped entree to MRT bid “park and ride” carparks to store their vehicles until October 2.

Reporting from a flooded thoroughfare successful Bangkok, Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng said the Thai superior is nary alien to dense rainfall during the monsoon season, but the continuous rainfall had locals worried.

“What usually happens is we get dense downpours for a mates of hours, past you’ll spot the thoroughfare often flooded but it would travel distant into the drains quickly, and it would lone hap successful isolated areas too,” helium said.

“What’s happening present is … happening each crossed the city. This is not a flash flood; this is persistent dense rainfall since Thursday evening, and it shows nary motion of letting up.”

Somkid Pheuk-ngam, 67, a vendor who lives adjacent a canal conscionable northbound of cardinal Bangkok, said she had to adjacent her store for 2 days.

“The h2o keeps coming in. It’s hard to spell retired now. It’s astatine my waist level,” she told the AFP quality agency. “I cannot spell anywhere,” she said, adding that this was “worse than the 2011 flood.”

Widespread flooding crossed Thailand successful 2011 killed much than 500 radical and damaged millions of homes.

The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation has warned of debased unit crossed eastern, northeastern and cardinal Thailand until Sunday, saying determination was a hazard of flash floods, wood runoff, mudslides and stream overflow.