More than 200 people died from floods in Thailand

The worst flood in Thailand for decades has killed 224 people and affected three-quarters of the country.

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According to AFP , the last two months of floods have destroyed 58 of Thailand's 77 provinces, with 25 provinces completely flooded, destroying many houses and residential areas.

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Thai people wade in the flood waters in Chiang Mai city on September 29. (Photo: AFP)

"This is the worst flood in terms of flood water and the number of people affected," said an official from the Thai Department of Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

Ayutthaya city, north of Bangkok, is one of the places most affected by heavy flooding. Wat Chaiwatthanaram, one of Ayutthaya's most famous temples, had to be closed after the Chao Pharaya river dyke system broke. The water level in the temple is now 1.5m but the provincial government believes that they can prevent floodwaters from entering the World Heritage Garden in Ayutthaya, quite far from the Chao Pharaya River.

Chiang Mang, the second-largest city in Thailand and a tourist attraction, is also heavily devastated, while the government is trying to prevent floodwaters from reaching Bangkok. Heavy rains have caused the Ping river dike here to break, causing railway flooding, causing the station system in the north to close. Some reservoirs in Thailand have also flooded water and western suburbs and east of Bangkok are at risk of flooding when another tropical storm is approaching Thailand.

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Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai (blue dots) are two cities
The city is heavily influenced by floods. (Graphics: poleshift)

Last week, the government said it had deployed about 10,000 soldiers, with 500 military vehicles supporting and more than 100 boats to rescue flood victims. However, a flood expert from Thailand's Integrated Water Resources Authority said the worst flood situation will last until the first week of November.