Thailand mobilized military special forces in the northern province of Chiang Rai on Thursday, following severe flooding that left thousands stranded. Authorities are utilizing boats and helicopters to reach those affected. At least 33 people have perished across Thailand since mid-August due to rain-related incidents, including landslides. Nine fatalities occurred this week in two northern provinces impacted by adverse weather conditions brought by Typhoon Yagi, according to government reports.
Yagi, the most powerful storm to strike Asia this year, has claimed at least 197 lives in Vietnam, where it made landfall on Saturday, causing flooding in parts of the capital city, Hanoi. In Thailand's northernmost province of Chiang Rai, floodwaters began to recede in some areas of the heavily affected Mai Sai district, but many riverside settlements remained inundated, according to the district head, Narongpol Kid-an.
"We are urgently evacuating people trapped in their homes," Narongpol stated. "There are still hundreds of individuals who require rescue." Local authorities, with the assistance of Thai Navy SEAL special forces, are employing boats and helicopters to conduct rescue operations.
"The situation is extremely precarious," Narongpol added. "When it rains, the water rises rapidly." The Thai Navy reported deploying nine flat-bottom boats to deliver over a thousand aid packages in Chiang Rai. Floodwaters also reached parts of Chiang Rai city, one of the largest settlements in northern Thailand, submerging key roads and urban areas.
Out of 10 scheduled flights into and out of Chiang Rai's airport on Thursday, nine were canceled, according to the airport's website. The airport itself was not flooded, but rising waters rendered roads to the facility impassable, according to Kornchit Chomphudeng, head of Chiang Rai's Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
"The flooding this time has affected a broader area than recent floods," he noted. Chiang Rai, a mountainous region divided by the Kok River, was one of five northern Thai provinces hit by severe floods last month. Authorities planned to use Thai Air Force helicopters to deliver food and water to approximately 3,000 people stranded in Chiang Rai's Ban Kwai Wua Dam area, the provincial office stated. Another 200 people were trapped in a school, awaiting evacuation to a rescue center.
Thailand's Office of National Water Resources issued a warning on Thursday to 36 provinces, including the capital Bangkok, for potential flash floods due to heavy rainfall.
