250 die in Thailand after worst flooding in 50 years

Thai authorities are building sandbag barricades in the capital Bangkok to protect it from the worst floods in decades that have already killed nearly 270 people across the country.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday that government workers have two days to build three major water barricades to prevent flooding in Bangkok before runoff from the north reaches the capital. Unusually high ocean tides are expected to worsen the flooding.

The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department says 269 people have died, mostly from drowning, since tropical storms began hitting Thailand at the end of July. It says 8.2 million people in 60 of the country's 77 provinces have been affected by floods and mudslides, and 30 provinces are currently inundated. AP