"When Will the Plane Leave?" Bangkok Flights Delayed 11 Hours by Record Rainfall

Over 330 mm of Rainfall from September 24 to Previous Day
Hundreds of Koreans Wait Over 10 Hours at Airport

Heavy rainfall hit the Bangkok metropolitan area, forcing hundreds of Korean passengers to wait at Suvarnabhumi International Airport for more than 10 hours.

Thai Airways passenger aircraft waiting for operation at Suvarnabhumi International Airport due to flooding in Thailand. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the Thai government on September 28 (local time), over 330 mm of torrential rain was recorded in the Bangkok area from September 24 until the previous day, causing flooding throughout the city. Bangkok authorities reported that 52,000 households were affected by the heavy rain.

In some residential areas, the water reached adult chest height, and 4,900 displaced people took shelter at about 200 evacuation centers set up in schools, temples, and other locations.

Flight crews were also unable to report to work on time due to the floods, resulting in continued flight delays since the previous day. Hundreds of Koreans scheduled to fly with Thai Airways were stranded at Suvarnabhumi Airport for more than 10 hours starting the previous night.

Kim (age 37), a Korean traveler, told Yonhap News, "I was supposed to return home last night at 11:10 PM on a Thai Airways flight with my family of eight. The departure time was first changed to 1:40 AM today, and then kept getting pushed to 3:00 AM, 4:00 AM, and 6:10 AM."

The flight that Kim was scheduled to board finally departed for Korea at around 10:40 AM on September 28, 11 hours and 30 minutes later than originally planned. Another Thai Airways flight to Korea, which was supposed to depart at 11:35 PM the previous day, was also delayed at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Meanwhile, according to a report from local media Pattaya Mail, a body believed to be that of a missing Korean man swept away by the flood was found at around 6:00 PM the previous day.

Previously obtained CCTV footage captured around 5:00 AM on September 24 in the Nong Prue area near Pattaya shows two out of three men falling into a roadside drainage canal. One man managed to climb out onto the road, but another was swept away by the water and disappeared. After the incident, the two men left the scene without contacting the authorities, and their whereabouts remain unknown.

 

When first discovered by a local fisherman, the body was severely decomposed and reported to be wearing clothing similar to that of the missing Korean at the time of disappearance. Thai authorities plan to perform an autopsy to confirm the precise identity and cause of death, and police are searching for the other two individuals.

An official from the Korean Embassy in Thailand stated, "A body believed to be the missing Korean national has been found, but the exact identity has yet to be confirmed," adding, "We are continuing to share information with the local police chief."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.