Thailand's flood death toll at 506

A Thai boy swims near a mall along flooded streets in Bangkok. Waters continue to creep closer to the heart of the capital.
A Thai boy swims near a mall along flooded streets in Bangkok. Waters continue to creep closer to the heart of the capital. (AARON FAVILA / Associated Press)

Rising water threatens Bangkok's subways and a tourist spot. The city ordered evacuations.

By Todd Pitman, Associated Press
Posted: November 07, 2011

BANGKOK, Thailand - The death toll from Thailand's worst floods in half a century climbed past 500 Sunday, as advancing pools of polluted water threatened Bangkok's subway system and new evacuations were ordered in the capital.

The latest district added to the government's evacuation list was Chatuchak, home to a major public park and an outdoor shopping zone that is a major tourist attraction. The Chatuchak Weekend Market was open but missing many vendors and customers Sunday as floodwaters poured past the market's eastern edge for a second day.

So far, Bangkok Gov. Sukhumbhand Paribatra has ordered evacuations in 11 of Bangkok's 50 districts, and partial evacuations in seven more.

The evacuations are not mandatory, and most people are staying to protect homes and businesses. But the orders illustrate how far flooding has progressed into the city and how powerless the government has been to stop it.

Chatuchak is a few miles north of Bangkok's central business district, which still is dry. On Sunday, cars sloshed through a flooded road underneath Chatuchak's Mo Chit Skytrain station, the northernmost stop on Bangkok's elevated-train system.

Floodwaters also reached roads at three subway stops in northern Bangkok, though both mass-transit networks are functioning normally.

Relentless rainfall has pummeled vast swaths of Thailand since late July, swamping the country and killing 506 people, according to the latest government statistics. Most victims have drowned, while a handful died from flood-related electrocutions.

No deaths have been reported in Bangkok. The nearby province of Ayutthaya, which has been submerged for more than one month, has the highest toll, with 90 reported dead.

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