Thailand flood death toll rises to 71

The death toll from floods in Thailand has risen to 71, with nearly 908,000 households affected across 51 provinces since mid-September, the country's Interior Ministry said on Monday.

Flooding has hit 51 provinces across the country, and parts of 21 provinces, including Bangkok, are still underwater.

The toll has risen sharply in the past two weeks. In late September, the ministry reported at least eight deaths and more than 580,000 affected homes across 41 provinces.

At the time, thousands of people in Bangkok were forced into evacuation centres after more than 320 mm of rain fell in a few days, close to the city’s usual total for the whole of September.

Economists estimated then that the floods could cause at least 11 billion baht (AED 1.2 billion) in damage and warned that losses were likely to rise if the situation didn’t improve.