Eight dead in Thailand floods since mid-September - CNA

People wade through a flooded area, in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sep 28, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha)

BANGKOK: Eight people have died in flooding in Thailand since Sep 16, although none in the capital Bangkok which declared a disaster this weekend following heavy rains, the government said Monday (Sep 28).

The eight died in eastern provinces - five in Sa Kaeo, two in Chanthaburi and one in Saraburi - according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), which did not give further details.

Not including Bangkok, more than 500,000 households and 1.7 million people across 27 provinces in the Southeast Asian country have been affected by flooding, the DDPM said.

A further 52,000 households were impacted in the capital, which on Saturday declared a city-wide disaster after almost 48 hours of heavy rain swelled canals and flooded roads.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less No deaths have been officially reported in Bangkok, and the DDPM said water levels had stabilised.

However, AFP reporters saw heavy rain and flooding in at least one eastern neighbourhood, with residents wading through thigh-high waters.

Schools have been closed and people urged to work from home - a call that many heeded, with streets and public transport networks noticeably quieter on Monday morning.

"Some areas in Bangkok are still facing high water levels," government spokesman Ekkapob Pianpises told a news briefing.

Drainage systems had reduced water levels to the point that more people could travel, he added.

Thailand is used to wet weather and September is the peak of the rainy season, but many residents said this year seemed worse than previous ones.

Landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom said decades of urban development have stripped Bangkok of much of its natural capacity to absorb and store water, leaving the city increasingly reliant on pumps and drainage infrastructure that can struggle to cope with heavier rainfall.