Thailand flooding toll tops 500

A Thai man pulls an improvised float to ferry children along flooded streets at the Lad Phrao...
A Thai man pulls an improvised float to ferry children along flooded streets at the Lad Phrao district in Bangkok, Thailand. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

The nationwide death toll from flooding in Thailand has climbed past 500, as the polluted black water continues its march through parts of the capital.

Floodwaters are also approaching a main road near Bangkok's Mo Chit bus terminal, a major gateway to northern Thailand, but the bus station remains open.

Three months of intense rainfall have fueled Thailand's worst flooding in half a century, swamping much of the country since July. The government says 506 people have died in the floods.

Floodwaters have begun receding in some provinces north of Bangkok, but they have built up around the city, which stands in the way of the water's natural flow south toward the Gulf of Thailand.

So far, authorities have ordered evacuations in eight of Bangkok's 50 districts.

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