Thailand floods: Indian embassy asks people to take caution

Bangkok: With floods hitting several northern parts of Thailand and threatening Bangkok, the Indian mission in the capital has advised visitors from the country to make sure they ascertain the ground situation before venturing out.

The advisory for Indians has come at a time when the country is witnessing its worst flooding in years and Bangkok is on alert due to the threat of inundation.

The Indian embassy informed people in a notice that several towns and cities, including tourist places of Chiang Mai and Ayutthaya, have been inundated by flood waters and portions of 54 highways have been closed.

It, however, said that southern part of Thailand, home to tourist destinations of Phuket and Krabi has so far not been affected.

"Visitors/tourists from India should ascertain ground situation before venturing out," read the advisory.

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The statement asked the visitors to keep checking reports of the updated situation to keep a tab on affected areas and transportation disruptions.

It also warned that high-river levels are likely to affect outer parts of Bangkok city, and reports said the flow is expected to peak around October 16-18.

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"Low lying outer areas in north and north-east of the city may also be prone to flooding. Central business district, commercial and tourist areas are better rotected, though there is no certain indication as to whether these will witness flooding or not," it said.

It said Bangkok's Suwarnabhumi airport lies in a level 2 area designated as high risk and efforts are being made to strengthen its embankments. It asked visitors from India to "contact their tour operators/hotels/guides to check the flood situation in their places of visit/stay/travel".

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"Those already in Thailand may also do so and keep themselves updated of the current situation through their local contacts, hotels and media about the current situation," it said.

The floods have already affected about one third of Thailand's provinces and have left over 250 people dead.