Bangkok flooding death toll rises to 38

BANGKOK braced for rising waters encroaching on the city yesterday as the death toll from two weeks of nationwide flooding rose to 38, emergency officials said.

The floods, which began on October 10, have affected millions of people across the country, inundating thousands of homes and leaving authorities struggling to reach people stranded in remote areas.

Authorities in the capital have reinforced flood walls with 200,000 sandbags and are building temporary wooden bridges in 27 communities to help people cross waterlogged streets.

More than 1,000 water pumps are on standby and authorities are preparing schools, monasteries and mosques for evacuation.

“From now on the river level will increase every day, as there is a period of high sea levels,” said Veera Wongsaengnak, deputy director general of the Irrigation Department.