Thailand Experiences Worst Monsoon Floods

In Thailand worst monsoon floods in decades have killed 224 people and affected three quarters of the country, including part of the ancient city of Ayutthaya. Authorities were meanwhile battling to stop the floods reaching the centre of low-lying Bangkok, as forecasters warned of more wild weather to come. Officials termed it as the worst flooding yet in terms of the amount of water and people affected. Two months of flooding have inundated 58 of 77 provinces, with 25 severely affected, and damaged the homes or livelihoods of millions of people. 

Wat Chaiwatthanaram, one of Ayutthaya's best-known temples, has been closed to visitors after a makeshift dyke was breached. The northern city of Chiang Mai, another popular tourist destination, has also been badly hit. Director of the Thai Integrated Water Resource Management said, the current flood situation is the worst that he has ever seen and it will last until the first week of November.