At Least 23 Dead in Thailand Floods as Flights Are Canceled and Delayed

The death toll from heavy monsoon rains and flooding in areas including the Thai capital of Bangkok has risen to at least 23, with widespread disruptions such as flight delays and cancellations compounding the damage.

According to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) on the 29th, local time, a total of 23 people have died from drowning or electrocution across central Thailand since the 16th, including 4 in Bangkok and 6 in Sa Kaeo Province.

In Bangkok, where all 50 districts have been declared flood disaster zones, torrential downpours exceeding 330 mm poured down from the 24th to the 27th, inundating various parts of the city.

This amount is roughly equivalent to the average rainfall for the entire month of September.

Consequently, about 700,000 people have been affected, with approximately 7,000 displaced residents in Bangkok alone taking shelter in around 230 relief centers set up in temples and schools.

Schools remained closed for a second consecutive day following the previous day.

Some of these schools have remained submerged for four to five days.

With no rain falling today and floodwaters in the city gradually receding, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt expressed expectations that about 90% of the main streets in downtown Bangkok will be clear of floods within two days.

However, he added that it could take up to a week for floodwaters to completely recede in low-lying areas.

Economic damage is also spreading.

According to Thailand's Ministry of Industry, 1,267 businesses across 40 provinces have been affected by the floods.

In particular, Thai Airways has experienced severe flight delays and cancellations as many employees in Bangkok and other areas were unable to commute to work on time. Cargo handling has also suffered major disruptions, leaving some 5,600 pieces of luggage piled up at the airport as of today.

In response, 69 Thai Air Force personnel were deployed yesterday to assist with Thai Airways ground operations.

In fact, two Thai Airways flights from Bangkok to South Korea originally scheduled to depart around 11:00 PM yesterday experienced long delays—with one departing around 8:00 AM today and the other around 11:00 AM today—causing inconvenience to passengers, including South Korean nationals.

An official from the South Korean Embassy in Thailand stated, "We are cooperating with related organizations, including Thai Airways and Bangkok airports, to prevent further delays in flights related to South Korea."

Previously on the 27th, hundreds of South Korean passengers in Bangkok were stranded for over 10 hours due to delayed departures by Thai Airways.

Thai Airways CEO Chai Eamsiri stated today, "Nearly 100% of the flights operated over the past two days were delayed," and announced that about 30 out of roughly 110 flights departing from Bangkok today would be canceled to stabilize the remaining operations.

He apologized to passengers inconvenienced by the operational disruptions and projected that operations would normalize within the next 72 hours.

Honda Motor also suspended motorcycle production at a factory in Thailand for a second consecutive day starting yesterday due to the floods, but operations are scheduled to resume on the 30th.

In neighboring Myanmar, heavy rainfall of up to 346 mm lashed the southern Tanintharyi Region yesterday, flooding about 40 villages and raising the death toll to at least 10.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.