The death toll from floods affecting Thailand since mid-September has risen to 71, Thailand’s Interior Ministry said on Monday 12 October, in its latest assessment of casualties and damage caused by heavy rainfall and rising water levels across large parts of the country.
Floods sweep through 51 provinces
The ministry said floods swept through 51 provinces between 16 September and 12 October. Its data showed that water was still affecting areas in 21 provinces, including the capital Bangkok, despite receding in other areas that had experienced flooding in recent weeks. According to the ministry, the total number of affected households reached 908,000.
The figures cover damage recorded since the start of the flooding, which spread from the northern and central provinces to parts of eastern Thailand and the capital. Thai authorities deployed disaster-response teams and equipment to assist residents and speed up water drainage, as clean-up operations and damage assessments began in areas where the floods had receded.
The government also approved emergency funding of more than 4.1 billion baht in late September to support those affected and finance recovery efforts. It instructed the relevant agencies to identify the areas most at risk and deploy equipment and personnel there in advance, in addition to registering affected people and considering assistance measures.
Official forecasts indicated that rain would continue in parts of southern Thailand on 12 and 13 October, keeping monitoring and response operations in place.
