Tourists in Chiang Mai have been warned to be alert for floods as waters spill over the banks of the Ping River, which bisects northern Thailand’s top visitor city.
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The Mekong region has been contending with flash floods since Super Typhoon Yagi tore through northern Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar earlier this month, killing hundreds of people in floods and landslides and destroying bridges, roads and houses.
Floodwaters from rivers swollen by fresh storms since Yagi have cascaded downstream to northern Thailand. Images shared on Facebook from Chiang Rai province have shown muddy torrents carrying cars and tractors through narrow hillside villages.
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Waters are now rising in Chiang Mai, prompting tourist police to warn tourists “to stay alert for potential overflowing and flooding” in a statement posted on social media late on Wednesday in English and Chinese. Chiang Mai is the second most popular destination for Chinese tourists to Thailand.
Late Wednesday, Chiang Mai’s famous night bazaar was submerged by over a metre of water, forcing tourists to wade out of the area.