A flood emergency has been declared across Bangkok after 48 hours of heavy rain left roads submerged.
Residents are urged to stay at home, and those living near the city’s canals have been advised to move their belongings to upper floors.
Thunderstorms are common in Thailand at this time of year, but recent extreme weather has overwhelmed Bangkok’s drainage system, causing traffic chaos on roads that are already notoriously congested.
The rain is expected to continue into Sunday, raising fears that more canals could burst their banks.
"The water keeps coming in. It’s hard to go out now. It’s like at my waist level now."
– Somkid Pheuk-ngam, 67, canal‑side resident north of central Bangkok
Somkid said water levels in the city appear worse than in 2011, when Bangkok suffered nationwide flooding that killed hundreds. No casualties have been reported in Bangkok from this latest flooding.
The Thai Meteorological Service forecast more heavy rain through the week, though the low‑pressure area driving the downpours is expected to move toward central Thailand.
All 50 of Bangkok’s districts have been declared emergency zones. Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the east of the city had been hardest hit, and that authorities are trying to pump water out, but canal levels remain full.
