Flooding hits Thailand world heritage site

Floodwaters have inundated one of Thailand’s most popular tourist destinations.

The 400-year-old Chai Wattanaram temple is one of the places cut off in the ancient city of Ayutthaya, a UNESCO world heritage site.

Deputy Governor of Ayutthaya, Narong Onsaard, said: “The situation is very severe because in previous years we were able to handle it. But the situation now is worse than in the past. We didn’t expect the very strong currents that damaged the embankment. We’ve tried our best, because this is an ancient site as well as a world heritage site.”

The death toll from widespread flooding in Thailand since July has now reached 224.

Large areas of land are under water due to a tropical storm and seasonal monsoon rains.

Authorities are attempting to prevent further flooding by reinforcing river banks.

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