Bangkok’s Bang Na Paralyzed by Severe Flooding and 31-Kilometre Traffic Jam
BANGKOK — Torrential downpours turned Bangkok’s streets into rivers on Thursday evening, causing massive flooding and one of the city’s worst traffic gridlocks in recent memory, with cars stranded for hours in waist-deep water and congestion stretching over 31 kilometres.
The deluge on May 16 left key roads in Bang Na and nearby districts submerged, with the heaviest impact felt on Bang Na-Trat Road near the popular Mega Bangna shopping centre. At around 4:30 p.m., FM91 reported extreme congestion as floodwaters overwhelmed the area, stranding vehicles and making roads nearly impassable.
On the Kanchanaphisek Expressway, the situation was equally dire. Traffic slowed to a crawl along a 24-kilometre stretch from Bang Phli to Suksawat, as drivers were unable to exit at Bang Na-Trat due to deep flooding near Mega Bangna.
The blocked exit worsened already-heavy congestion on Bang Na-Trat Road, resulting in a combined traffic jam that extended more than 31 kilometres. Social media was flooded with videos and images showing cars submerged up to their windows and commuters wading through the floodwaters.
Authorities have yet to release a full damage assessment, but the disruption has raised fresh concerns about the capital’s ability to cope with increasingly frequent and intense rainfall.
