Battle to save Bangkok from deadly floods

The Thai government is scrambling to divert floodwater that is threatening to engulf the capital Bangkok.

Thailand‘s worst floods for 50 years have killed 356 people in recent months and 113,000 people have been made homeless.

Floodwater as high as three metres has deluged industrial areas north of Bangkok.

The government has ordered sluice gates to be opened in a bid to divert the flow of water into canals in east Bangkok and finally into the sea.

Many Bangkok residents parked their cars on the emergency lanes of raised expressways in order to try to save the vehicles from rising water.

Officials have warned the public to move the cars to airport car parks instead as the traffic jams are blocking the transporation of aid from Bangkok to the stricken areas.

Some districts on the outskirts of the capital are facing a severe disaster, with many factories submerged by floods.

Military helicopters are airdropping food to areas inaccessible to vehicles.

In Bangkok, 227 commercial banks and financial institution branches in the city centre closed on Saturday.

Three cargo planes of the Air Force of China arrived in Bangkok on Saturday morning to deliver the third batch of flood relief goods to the Thai government.

The potential economic damage from serious flooding in the capital is huge, with Bangkok accounting for 41 per cent of Thailand’s gross domestic product.

More than 650,000 of Thais are thought to be temporarily out of work amid massive industrial disruption.