Central Thailand braces for inundation as rain stops in flooded Chiang Mai 

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — 

Several provinces successful cardinal Thailand braced for floods Sunday aft the Irrigation Department announced it was releasing h2o from a large dam aft weeks of predominant dense rain.

The rainfall stopped successful the bluish metropolis of Chiang Mai, but galore people, particularly the elderly, remained chopped disconnected by floodwaters that successful immoderate areas were waist-high oregon more. Volunteer rescue teams, often traveling by boat, worked to proviso them with nutrient oregon evacuate them.

Further complicating the situation, energy was chopped disconnected successful immoderate neighborhoods for information reasons.

Areas fashionable with tourists, specified arsenic the city’s Night Bazaar and Tha Pae Gate, were nether arsenic overmuch arsenic a metre of water.

Central provinces, including the superior Bangkok, person been warned of imaginable flooding arsenic the Irrigation Department plans to merchandise h2o from the Chao Phraya Dam to support it nether capacity.

The latest flooding successful Chiang Mai began erstwhile the Ping River, which runs on the eastbound borderline of the city, began overrunning its banks connected Friday. Flooding is an yearly occupation successful galore parts of Thailand during the monsoon season.

Concern remained for animals that had been kept successful parks and sanctuaries connected the outskirts of Chiang Mai.

Most of the 125 elephants held astatine the city's Elephant Nature Park person been led to safety, though immoderate escaped connected their ain to question higher ground.

Photos successful Thai media showed elephants successful h2o truthful heavy that they could hardly support their heads supra it. Thai media reported that astatine slightest 2 elephants person been recovered dormant and respective much were unaccounted for.