Thailand’s prime minister Saturday warned people in parts of Bangkok to expect floods as water from northern provinces had nearly reached the capital.
Yingluck Shinawatra called the flooding a “national crisis” and called on citizens to unite and help each other. One-third of the country’s provinces are at least partly underwater.
She said Bangkok residents should move their belongings to safe locations over the weekend.
The government would protect important buildings including hospitals and government offices, she said.
Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said that flood waters had started flowing into some northern neighbourhoods, but the prime minister made no mention of that on Saturday.
Her government has been criticized for lack of coordination, slow response to the floods and issuing confusing information about the disaster.
The floods have swept through northern Thailand for the past two months, leaving 342 people dead and two missing. More than 2.4 million people have been affected, the National Disaster Prevention Centre said Friday.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Authority used nearly 700,000 sandbags as of Thursday and had requested another 2.4 million.
