Thailand Raises Flood Warnings as Deaths Rise After Typhoon Yagi

Thailand warned a new storm may cause more floods and landslides, while death toll from Typhoon Yagi and the monsoon rains continued to rise.

More than 40 provinces were placed on alert for possible flash floods as a new tropical depression is expected to strengthen through Sept. 18, the Office of National Water Resources said in statement Thursday. Since Sept. 10, at least nine people have died due to floods in the northern provinces of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, according to the government.

Typhoon Yagi, the strongest storm to hit Asia this year, has also wreaked havoc in neighboring Vietnam, where it left at least 157 people dead and 139 more missing. In Thailand, about 34,000 households mostly in the northern provinces have been affected, prompting Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to order immediate assistance.

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More torrential rain nationwide is expected from Sept. 13 to early next week, the Thai Meteorological Department said Thursday.

The third quarter is usually monsoon season for the Southeast Asian nation. Since Aug. 16, floods and landslides have killed 33 people across the country and affected nearly 110,000 households, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

Flights at Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International Airport in Chiang Rai province were suspended on Thursday due to floods, the airport said in a statement on its Facebook page. Among those affected are passengers of Thai Airways International Pcl, according to the airline in a separate statement.

Photograph: Flood waters surround houses in the northern Thai city of Chiang Rai on Sept. 12, 2024. Photo credit: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images