Record rainfall has inundated large parts of Bangkok, leaving swaths of the Thai capital under water. Flight delays caused by the flooding also left hundreds of Korean passengers stranded for hours at Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
Bangkok Hit by 330 mm of Rain; 4,900 Displaced, 52,000 Households Affected
More than 330 millimeters of rain fell across the Bangkok area between the 24th and the previous day, causing flooding across the city, the Thai government said on the 28th.
About 4,900 displaced residents have moved to more than 200 shelters set up at schools and temples. Bangkok authorities estimate that roughly 52,000 households have been affected by the flooding.
The downpour also disrupted air travel. Passenger flights at Suvarnabhumi International Airport were delayed one after another starting the previous day, as some airline crew members were unable to report to work on time because of flooding and traffic disruptions.
Hundreds of Korean passengers trying to fly home on Thai Airways waited at the airport for more than 14 hours starting the previous night, according to reports.
Kim, a 37-year-old South Korean, told Yonhap News that they had been scheduled to fly home with eight family members on a Thai Airways flight at 11:10 p.m. the previous night. "The departure time was first changed to 1:40 a.m. today, and then it kept moving to 3 a.m., 4 a.m. and 6:10 a.m.," Kim said.
"There was not a single airline employee at the gate, and there was no information at all about the delay," Kim added. "When I finally went to the Thai Airways lounge myself to ask, they told me that staff had been unable to get to work because of the heavy rain."
Hundreds of Koreans Wait More Than 14 Hours at Airport With No Announcements
Another Thai Airways flight scheduled to depart Suvarnabhumi International Airport for South Korea at 11:35 p.m. the previous day also failed to take off on time.
"It was raining heavily in Bangkok yesterday as well, so we arrived at the airport early, around 6 p.m.," Kim said. "We have been waiting with no idea what is happening for more than 14 hours without receiving any announcement."
The Thai government has declared Bangkok, along with Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan provinces, disaster areas.
Over the weekend, as flood damage spread, panic buying of daily necessities broke out across parts of Bangkok. With shelves emptying at some stores, the Thai prime minister's office asked residents to refrain from excessive stockpiling.
The government also ordered a special two-day holiday for civil servants in Bangkok and three neighboring provinces from Monday through the 29th.
"This is a measure to ease traffic congestion caused by the flooding," the Thai government said. "During this period, essential duties may be handled as deemed appropriate at the discretion of department heads."
Disaster Areas Declared, Civil Servants Given Leave; Body Believed to Be Korean Found in Pattaya
Flood damage has continued outside Bangkok as well.
A body believed to be that of a South Korean man who went missing in floodwaters on the 24th in the Nong Prue area near Pattaya, in Thailand's central Chon Buri province, was found around 6 p.m. the previous day, three days after he disappeared, according to local outlet Pattaya Mail.
The body was already significantly decomposed when a local fisherman first found it, and the clothing was reported to resemble what the missing South Korean had been wearing.
Thai authorities plan to conduct an autopsy to confirm the identity and cause of death.
