Tens of Thousands Flee Bangkok Floods

Residents are pouring out of Bangkok by bus, plane and train, heeding government warnings to use a special five-day holiday to evacuate parts of the flood-threatened metropolis before a weekend deluge rushes through the city. The evacuation warning applied to only three of Bangkok's 50 districts, but the government has acknowledged that the entire city of 9 million could flood in the coming days.

Panic has gripped parts of the city as more and more of it is affected by the advancing water. Residents stocking up on food and other necessities have emptied supermarket shelves. At least one foreign government is advising against all but essential travel to Bangkok, with Britain's Foreign Office saying "flooding is likely to disrupt transport, close tourist attractions and may affect electricity and water supplies." (More Bangkok stories.)