Floods Close Bangkok’s Domestic Airport

Floodwaters in Thailand shut down the second-largest airport in Bangkok on Tuesday, as the country struggles to deal with continuous monsoon rains since July, according to media reports.
Floods Close Bangkok’s Domestic Airport
10/25/2011
Updated:
10/1/2015

<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/130024078.jpg" alt="Flood victims take shelter in tents at the Don Muang airport, which has become an evacuation center, October 23, 2011 in Bangkok, Thailand.  (Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)" title="Flood victims take shelter in tents at the Don Muang airport, which has become an evacuation center, October 23, 2011 in Bangkok, Thailand.  (Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)" width="575" class="size-medium wp-image-1795871"/></a>
Flood victims take shelter in tents at the Don Muang airport, which has become an evacuation center, October 23, 2011 in Bangkok, Thailand.  (Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)

Floodwaters in Thailand shut down the second-largest airport in Bangkok on Tuesday, as the country struggles to deal with continuous monsoon rains since July, according to media reports.

The Don Muang airport, used primarily for domestic air service, was forced to suspend all flights after floodwaters breached a dike, reported Thailand’s The Nation newspaper. 

Disaster management authorities told locals to flee the surrounding areas, including the Rangsit district in northern Bangkok, according to the Bangkok Post.

Nok Air, one of the most-used airliners in Thailand, said it would suspend all flight operations in and out of the airport until Oct. 31, according to the newspaper.

Thailand has been inundated with floodwaters since the summer due to heavy seasonal rains and the country is attempting to divert water in the central part of the country into the sea, reports Reuters. In all, more than 360 people have died due to the floods.

The Thai cabinet on Tuesday said it would use a $10.6 billion fund to help rebuilding efforts aimed mainly at small and medium businesses, small vendors, and individuals, according to Reuters.

“If they get back to normal quickly, it will help push the economy forward,” Finance Minister Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala said of the fund’s passage, according to the news agency.