Floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains have left seven people dead in Thailand, authorities confirmed on Saturday, as relief operations continue across several provinces.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said more than 260,000 residents along the Chao Phraya River have been affected by the floods this week. The agency initially reported four deaths earlier in the week but later revised the toll to seven.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul visited Ayutthaya province on Saturday, one of the hardest-hit areas, in one of his first trips since taking office.
He was joined by disaster prevention officials as he ordered the distribution of survival kits, the placement of sandbags, and monitoring of landslide-prone zones.
“We have a whole team to help relieve the people’s hardship and we plan to respond to your needs,” Anutin told residents.
Although Severe Tropical Storm Bualoi, which struck the Philippines earlier this week, did not hit Thailand, the Meteorological Department has warned of heavy rain in the coming days.
Thailand often experiences intense rainfall between June and September, but experts caution that climate change is making extreme weather more frequent and unpredictable.
Last month, landslides and flooding caused by Typhoon Kajiki killed five people and injured 15 in the north.
A decade earlier, in 2011, widespread flooding across the country left more than 500 dead and millions of homes damaged.
