Thailand Struck by Flash Floods
Health facilities are operating 24 hours a day to respond to a potential surge in patients.
Heavy rain caused flash floods in northern Thailand, damaging infrastructure in Mae Hong Son province and forcing emergency response efforts along the border with Chiang Rai province.
In Mae Hong Son province, rainfall of 76.2 millimetres was recorded, causing fast-flowing water to inundate the provincial capital and several surrounding villages, with at least 20 houses submerged, according to a report by the Thai news agency TNA on Monday.
The force of the water also caused half of a ring road to collapse in a landslide and swept away several pieces of heavy machinery. The local government has temporarily closed access to the damaged road, given that meteorological officials have warned of potential continued rain from Tuesday (8/9) to Sunday (13/9).
Meanwhile, in Chiang Rai, further east, the Thai Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department issued an emergency alert via a cell broadcast at 09.04 local time after water levels in the Sai River rose.
At the Thai-Myanmar Border Friendship Bridge, fast-flowing water carried various debris until it nearly touched the bridge deck. Local officials urged residents in low-lying areas to move their valuables to higher ground.
Officers from the local government and military personnel were deployed to reinforce river embankments using large sandbags, after floodwater breached a levee undergoing demolition near the business district.
Meanwhile, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said around 590 foreign nationals were reported missing following the natural disaster.
Nepal has asked Meta and TikTok to remove AI-generated content in the form of images and videos, fake donation QR codes and misleading posts following the flash flood disaster.
The death toll from flash floods and landslides in Nepal reached 623 people on Saturday (29/8). Search and evacuation efforts are under way to recover the victims’ bodies.
The collapse of a Nepalese glacier triggered flash floods along the China-Nepal border (28/8/2026), with 480 dead and 1,281 missing after a glacial lake overflowed.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited areas affected by the flash floods in Gyirong County, Shigatse, Tibet, on Thursday (27/8).