Thailand lifts flood warnings as death toll rises after Typhoon Yagi

Thailand warned that a new storm could cause more flooding and landslides, while the death toll from Typhoon Yagi and monsoon rains continued to rise.

More than 40 provinces have been placed on alert for possible flash flooding as a new tropical depression is expected to strengthen by September 18, the National Water Resources Bureau said in a statement on Thursday. Since September 10, at least nine people have died in floods in the northern provinces of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, according to the government.

Typhoon Yagi, the strongest storm to hit Asia this year, also wreaked havoc in neighboring Vietnam, where it left at least 157 dead and 139 missing. In Thailand, about 34,000 households, mostly in the northern provinces, were affected, prompting Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to order immediate assistance.

Factories in Vietnam’s export hub may face weeks of disruption after Typhoon Yagi

More torrential rains nationwide are expected from September 13 to early next week, Thailand’s Meteorological Department announced on Thursday.

The third quarter is usually monsoon season for the Southeast Asian nation. Since August 16, floods and landslides have killed 33 people across the country and affected nearly 110,000 households, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

Flights at Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International Airport in Chiang Rai province were suspended on Thursday due to flooding, the airport said in a statement on its Facebook page. Among those affected are Thai Airways International Pcl passengers, according to the airline in a separate statement.

Photo: Flood waters surround houses in the northern Thai city of Chiang Rai on September 12, 2024. Photo credit: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images

Copyright 2024 Bloomberg.

TOPICS
Catastrophe Natural disasters Flood