Flash floods in Thailand caused by continual heavy rainfall have killed 23 people and affected more than one million others since the start of July, officials said on Wednesday.

All 23 flood fatalities were caused by drowning, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said, according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur, DPA.

Thailand is currently in its monsoon season, with heavy rain forecast for the rest of the week. However, it was not seasonal rain alone that caused widespread floods, according to the country's meteorological department.

The situation became exacerbated after Thailand was hit by Tropical Storm Sonca, which originated in the upper South China Sea in late July, the department said.

A total of 44 provinces out of Thailand's 67 provinces have been flooded. Floodwaters in 10 provinces, mainly in the country's north-east, are still up to two metres deep in some places.

The hardest hit area is the north-eastern province of Sakhon Nakhon, 650 kilometres from Bangkok. Its domestic airport was closed for three days before re-opening late on Monday.

Among the flooded provinces is the historic central city of Ayutthaya, popular among tourists for its many ancient Buddhist temples, added DPA

source:wam