Thai flood death toll hits 381

A total of 381 people were confirmed dead and two people were missing in Thailand's worst floods that have inundated many provinces since July 25, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said on Sunday. Floods which affected 62 of 77 provinces started receding in some provinces. Currently, the deluge still prevails in 144 districts of 26 provinces in northeastern and central regions, affecting 2,035,119 people, the department said. Bangkok, the country's capital city, is on the edge of flooding as its outer areas were inundated and one of the airports swamped this week. In the eastern part of Bangkok, a total of 27 communities outside floodwalls were inundated by the northern runoff. People along Chao Praya River have been warned of overflow. Bangkokians have rushed out of the city during the five-day special holiday from October 27-31 declared by the cabinet on last Tuesday. Since the most severe floods in over half a century caused by heavy monsoon rains and tropical storms have lashed the country, over 9.4 million people affected and hundreds of roads and highways were under water, some 75 out of these were so damaged that they became impassable. Ten thousands of factories inundated, putting over 600,000 employees at the risk of loosing their jobs.