Bangkok floods force thousands into shelters

Deep floodwaters in Bangkok drove thousands of residents into shelters as others scrambled to buy groceries or dry out their homes on Sunday after days of heavy rain inundated markets, roads and residences.



Pedestrians in plastic rain ponchos waded through murky, knee-deep water in the Thai capital, some venturing into a supermarket while others floated their belongings in plastic tubs.



"People cannot get out of their homes. We are running out of food, so I came out to purchase some," Aduenan Surorot, a motorbike-taxi driver, told AFP outside a grocery store.



The shops near his house - where flooding was still at chest level - were low on stock.



Some stores had empty shelves over the weekend as residents raced to buy essentials, while fresh produce at market stalls was kept dry in polystyrene foam boxes or hanging just above the water level.



The prime minister's office asked the public to avoid panic-buying and warned that price gouging was a criminal offence.