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Bangkok on high alert for high tides

The Thai military and police are on a high alert as seasonal high tides are increasing the risk of flood damage in the center of the capital, Bangkok.

Massive amounts of floodwater have reached northern Bangkok after severely damaging industrial complexes in the central province of Ayutthaya.

Thailand enters a period of seasonal high tides on Friday. More water may overflow from the Chao Phraya River and inundate additional parts of central Bangkok when the tides peak in the mornings and afternoons.

On Thursday, water flooded the premises of the hospital in central Bangkok where King Bhumibol Adulyadej is receiving treatment. Troops were seen piling sandbags to minimize the damage.

In western Bangkok, a traffic jam occurred when flooding caused people to evacuate to the suburbs by car.

A man whose home was submerged knee-deep said he did not expect his neighborhood would be flooded. He said he will take shelter at his relatives' home.

High tides will peak on Saturday. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra predicts that the worst-case scenario is that areas in and around central Bangkok would be flooded with between 10 centimeters and 1.5 meters of water.

Troops and police are stationed along the river to monitor water levels.

Friday, October 28, 2011 06:47 +0900 (JST)