Rescue workers have been evacuating elderly people to safer ground after the swollen Yom River broke a 50-metre section of the flood wall in Tambon Pak Kwae, in Muang district of the northern province of Sukhothai Sunday morning.

Residents along the riverbanks and in surrounding low-lying areas have been told to move their belongings to higher ground, as the waters have already flooded several houses.

In Wiang Sa district of the northern Nan province, many villagers in Tambon Klang Wiang are experiencing flooding and a shortage of drinking water, said to be the worst in the district for 60 years. Land access has also been cut off.

In other areas, the flood waters have receded, but residents are warned to monitor weather conditions and announcements from local officials as rain continues to fall.

Six districts and 110 villages in Nan province have been affected by flooding so far, which is the result of a monsoon trough sweeping over northern Thailand.

Lt-Gen Chalongchai Chaiyakham, Commander of the Third Army region, yesterday took a helicopter to observe flooding in Tha Pla district of Uttradit province.  Several low-lying areas in the district remain flooded today, although the water is receding.

He expressed concern over the situation in Phrae, noting that runoff from the swollen Yom River, flowing at 1,100 cubic metres per minute, is expected to hit the province today.

In the northern province of Mae Hong Son, the water level in the Pai River is steadily rising.  In some areas along the river, water has spilled over its banks and has flooded rice fields and households in Muang district.

Mr. Thanongsak Nirakorn, acting Director of the Water Resources Office of Region Three, said that 127.5mm of rainfall has been recorded in the past 12 hours in Khun Yuam district, warning that this may cause flash flooding in low-lying areas.