Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Bangkok floods breach airport defences

Guardian (UK): Floods in Thailand breached barriers defending Bangkok's second airport on Tuesday and began seeping into the compound, forcing at least one airline to suspend flights for a week, officials have said.

It was not immediately clear how much water had entered Don Muang airport, which is primarily used for domestic flights. An airport official confirmed floodater was inside the compound, but added that runways were unaffected and flights were operating normally.

The budget airline Nok Air has suspended operations at Don Muang until 1 November "because water has entered the north side of the airport already", the company's CEO, Patee Sarasin, said. He said all airborne planes would be diverted to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport, the country's main international gateway, adding that refunds would be given as needed.

The Thai government says the death toll from the catastrophic nationwide flooding has risen to 366 since the floods began in late July....Authorities have declared seven of the capital's 50 districts at risk. Those zones, located in the north and north-west, are experiencing minor flooding, but most of Bangkok is dry....

Bridges and roads in front of Don Mueang Bangkok International Airport (domestic terminal), Thailand. Shot by Mattes, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike license, versions 1.0, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 and any later version released by Creative Commons

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