Written by Kenji Tanaka, Asia Pacific Correspondent
SLUG: breaking-asia-pacific-thailand-floods-june6-2026
Devastating monsoon floods swept through northern Thailand on Friday, killing at least 32 people and displacing more than 200,000 others as floodwaters overwhelmed villages, roads, and temples across Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Nan provinces. Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation confirmed the death toll and said the figure was expected to rise as rescue teams reach cut-off communities. Among the dead were 11 people who drowned when a relief boat capsized on the Ping River, and six children who were swept away in Chiang Rai.
Chiang Mai’s ancient city walls, a UNESCO World Heritage site, were breached for the first time in recorded history as the Ping River crested at 14.7 metres — more than four metres above flood level. Historic temples including Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang were sandbagged by volunteers overnight, though water entered the grounds of several temples and a medieval library at Wat U Mong was damaged. Thailand’s prime minister declared a national disaster zone and approved an emergency budget of 500 million baht for relief operations.
More than 60,000 homes have been flooded across the three provinces. Military helicopters were deployed to evacuate residents from rooftops in Nan province, where floodwaters reached the second floor of buildings. Thailand’s navy sent medical teams to the worst-affected areas. Neighbouring Myanmar and Laos, which share the Mekong River system, issued advisories for communities downstream as the river system continues to drain.
The floods follow three weeks of unusually intense monsoon rains driven by a slow-moving tropical depression over the Bay of Bengal. Climate scientists said the rainfall intensity was consistent with patterns linked to climate change, noting that northern Thailand has seen an increase in both the frequency and severity of monsoon flooding over the past decade. The Thai Meteorological Department said conditions were expected to improve by Tuesday as the depression moves westward, but water levels in the Ping River are not expected to recede below critical levels until the end of the week.
Sources: Reuters, AP, Thailand Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Thai Meteorological Department, BBC, The Nation (Thailand), Channel News Asia.