THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bangkok residents fled the capital on Thursday after authorities called an emergency five-day holiday and urged people in flood-prone parts of the city to leave to avoid a massive deluge.
Flood waters were already seeping into central parts of Bangkok in the morning, with waters entering the Grand Palace, near the Chao Phraya river.
After days of preparing for the onslaught of water, many citizens abandoned their homes on Wednesday night and Thursday morning and were heading to safety in other areas, especially southern beach towns of Hua Hin, Phuket and Pattaya.
"We have learned that all of these destinations are packed with Thais who have moved from Bangkok," said the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) deputy chief Sansern Ngaorungsi.
He said domestic flights from the country's main air hub, Suvarnabhumi – which is still operating as normal – were also "very, very packed".
Televised footage showed crowded bus terminals in the capital as people sought to escape, while officials said Bangkok's main train station was also filling up and roads north and east out of the city were choked. » | Thursday, October 27, 2011
