Thailand floods since Sept 16 leave 44 dead as more than 3.1 million people affected

BANGKOK, Oct 8 — Flooding across 21 Thai provinces and parts of Bangkok has affected more than 3.13 million people, with the cumulative death toll rising to 44 since September 16.

Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Director-General Nirat Pongsitthaworn said heavy rain and water flowing south from the northern region had contributed to the ongoing flooding, which has affected more than 1.14 million households.

“As of 6am Thursday, flooding was reported in 110 districts, 927 subdistricts and 6,928 villages, while 329,000 households in Bangkok were affected,” he said in a statement published on the department’s official Facebook page on Thursday.

Nirat said water levels were rising in seven provinces — Sing Buri, Suphan Buri, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Samut Prakan, Pathum Thani, Samut Songkhram and Chachoengsao — while falling in 10 others and remaining stable in four.

According to DDPM, Prachin Buri recorded the highest death toll at 19, followed by Samut Prakan with nine. 

Nakhon Nayok and Bangkok recorded four deaths each, while eight deaths were reported across five other provinces.

Nirat said the department had deployed disaster-response machinery to assist affected communities and was closely monitoring water levels and weather conditions.

Authorities in areas where floodwaters had receded were instructed to assess damage, speed up rehabilitation and compile household data to facilitate assistance.

Earlier, the Thailand Meteorological Department has issued a warning for October 9-13, forecasting heavy rain, strong winds, hail and scattered thunderstorms across parts of the North-east, East, Central and South. — Bernama