9 Oct 2011

Flooding in Thailand set to worsen

12:01 pm on 9 October 2011

The worst flooding in Thailand in decades is set to get more critical as massive volumes of water move from the north of the country towards the sea.

More than 250 people have been killed in the flooding, the ABC reports, and more than 2.5 million people have been affected.

Predicted high tides, along with more rain and swollen waterways, also mean the capital Bangkok is now under threat.

In Nonthaburi, on the northern outskirts of Bangkok, the swollen Chao Praya River is already overflowing.

A little further north, temples, factories and homes are already underwater at the ancient city of Ayutthaya.

Fifty-eight of Thailand's 77 provinces have been affected by this season's flooding.

Hundreds of thousands of acres of rice has been inundated; the damage to industry overall is around $1 billion.