Bangkok roads submerged as flood disaster declared

A flood emergency disaster has been declared across Bangkok after more than 300mm (12in) of rain fell since Thursday, leaving roads in the Thai capital submerged.

On Sunday, Bangkok's Metropolitan Authority said the rains have subsided, but canal water levels remain high. The city's governor has warned that the flooding is not yet over.

People have been urged to stay at home and those living close to the city's network of canals have been advised to move their belongings to upper floors.

Thunderstorms are common in Thailand at this time of year but extreme weather in recent days has inundated Bangkok's drainage system, causing traffic chaos on roads that are already famously congested.

Somkid Pheuk-ngam, a 67-year-old who lives near a canal just north of central Bangkok, told the AFP news agency: "The water keeps coming in. It's hard to go out now. It's like at my waist level now.

"I cannot go anywhere. I have been closing my shop for two days now."

She said water levels in the city appeared to be worse than in 2011, when Bangkok was impacted by nationwide flooding.

Hundreds were killed across Thailand then in an extreme weather event that lasted for three months. So far, no casualties have been reported in Bangkok from this latest flooding.