Heavy rains have caused widespread flooding across Thailand and parts of Myanmar since mid-September, resulting in at least eight fatalities in each country, authorities reported on Monday.

In Thailand, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation confirmed that eight people have died in three eastern provinces since September 16, with no casualties reported in the capital, Bangkok. The floods have affected more than 500,000 households, impacting approximately 1.7 million people across 27 provinces. Bangkok has experienced flooding for a fourth consecutive day, prompting authorities to declare a city-wide disaster on Saturday. Schools have been closed, and residents were urged to work from home, a recommendation widely followed as roads and public transportation saw significantly reduced traffic.

Despite no reported deaths in the capital, thousands of people remain stranded by the high water levels, including residents of an apartment complex in the eastern Bang Kapi district, where floodwaters have reached neck height. Many buildings have lost electricity and running water, forcing residents to rely on rainwater collection and food handouts. Vendors have started setting up makeshift stalls in flooded areas, serving customers who navigate the streets by boats or by wading through the water with trolleys, illustrating the community’s resilience despite ongoing challenges.

Governor Chadchart Sittipunt noted that pumping stations had been working at full capacity for several days but warned that it may take up to a week for the floodwaters to recede fully. Thousands have already relocated to temporary shelters. Bangkok’s vulnerability to flooding is compounded by its geography, being built on former marshlands with an intricate network of canals that have overflowed under the intense rain.

In neighboring Myanmar, heavy floods and landslides in the southern Tanintharyi region have also resulted in at least eight confirmed deaths, with around 30 people reported missing. Among the recovered victims were three teenagers swept away by a landslide while gathered at a monastery, which also buried 18 buildings in Launglon township. Local volunteers highlighted ongoing risks due to continuous rainfall and noted that the region’s ongoing civil conflict complicates rescue and relief operations, with limited resources available to respond to the disaster.

Meteorologists point to this season’s particularly intense rains as indicative of a trend of increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events, a phenomenon linked to global climate change driven by fossil fuel emissions. The situation has left communities on both sides of the border grappling with immediate humanitarian needs and longer-term challenges posed by climate-related disasters.