BANGKOK: Five people were killed in floods in Thailand’s north this week, with authorities cautioning on Tuesday that more heavy rain was on the way.
Since the onset of the monsoon season in September, a total of 23 Thai citizens have been died in floods and 33 have been injured, the public health ministry reported in a statement.
Earlier this week, floods in Thailand’s northern province of Phayao killed five people, the ministry further said.
Thai authorities issued flood warnings for 32 provinces today.
The forecast predicts heavy rain for Bangkok and the popular resort island of Phuket.
“The monsoon from the southwest, blowing over the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, will increase rainfall in Thailand,” the Ministry of Interior said in a statement.
Over 62,000 Thai households have been impacted by floods this wet season, the statement said.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has been actively visiting flood zones in recent weeks as local authorities scramble to hand out survival kits to evacuees.
In 2011, widespread flooding resulted in loss of 500 lives and damaged millions of homes around the country.
