Flash flooding in the popular Thai tourist destination of Chiang Mai has claimed the lives of three people, according to a health official on Sunday. Tourists were forced to evacuate hotels through knee-high muddy water, while shops in the city centre closed their doors. Two elephants also drowned in rapidly rising floodwaters north of the city, according to their sanctuary.
In the heart of Chiang Mai, residents and visitors navigated through brown floodwaters in the night bazaar, and water inundated the central train station, which has since been closed. Local media reported that thousands of bed-ridden elderly and children were in urgent need of food and evacuation after the Ping River reached an historic high on Saturday night. By Sunday, the water level had slightly receded, authorities said.
Saritdet Charoenchai, a public health official, confirmed that three people had died, including a 44-year-old man who was electrocuted and a 33-year-old woman who perished in a mudslide. Over 80 people have sought refuge in shelters, while nearly a dozen medical centres were closed due to the high water levels.
A local TV station captured a poignant scene of a monk carrying a coffin through floodwaters to a cremation site. In Mae Tang district, more than 100 elephants at the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai province were relocated to higher ground to escape the rising floodwaters. However, two elephants—named in local media as 16-year-old Fahsai and 40-year-old Ploython, who was blind—were found dead on Saturday.
Saengduean Chailert, the director of the Elephant Nature Park in northern Thailand, expressed her devastation, saying, "My worst nightmare came true when I saw my elephants floating in the water. I will not let this happen again; I will not make them run from such a flood again." She vowed to move them to higher ground ahead of next year's monsoon.
Major inundations have affected parts of northern Thailand as recent heavy downpours caused the Ping River to reach critical levels, according to the district office. Thailand's northern provinces have experienced significant flooding since Typhoon Yagi struck the region in early September, with one district reporting its worst inundations in 80 years. While Thailand endures annual monsoon rains, man-made climate change is exacerbating weather patterns, making destructive floods more likely.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported on Sunday that 20 of Thailand's 76 provinces are currently flooded.
