Bangkok floods force nearly 4,900 into shelters

Bangkok floods forced nearly 4,900 people into shelters after more than 330 millimetres of rain fell in parts of the Thai capital from Thursday to Sunday, city authorities said.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said around 52,000 households were affected and a disaster declaration had been issued across the capital. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said on Sunday that several roads remained flooded and canal water levels were still high, while authorities were working to speed up drainage.

Residents waded through knee-deep water to buy food and other supplies. Motorbike-taxi driver Aduenan Surorot told AFP that shops near his home, where he said flooding was still at chest level, were low on stock.

The prime minister's office urged people not to panic-buy and warned that price gouging was a criminal offence. City authorities said hundreds of schools would close on Monday.

Chadchart visited a temporary shelter on Saturday at a school in the Kheha Romklao area, where he said about 1,000 people had been evacuated. Some evacuees were resting in hallways and classrooms with their belongings and pets.

Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation also reported flooding across 25 provinces on Sunday. The defence ministry said more than 10,000 soldiers had been deployed nationwide to help with flood relief. Bangkok authorities forecast rain through Sunday, with conditions expected to begin tapering off on Monday.