Toyota car plants, Thai Airways cargo hit by Thailand floods

Business Recorder reported that floods in Thailand have forced four Toyota plants to shut temporarily and halted cargo operations at Thai Airways. Toyota's Thai unit has stopped work at three of its plants and one facility at its joint venture, Toyota Auto Works, after floodwaters disrupted parts deliveries. The carmaker is coordinating with suppliers so that deliveries can be restored and production can resume quickly.

Thai Airways said that many of its staff were not able to reach work, so it has stopped accepting inbound and outbound cargo from Wednesday until October 6. The airline added that the services would return at the earliest opportunity. Flooding also caused disruption at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Tuesday, where half the personnel could not report for duty and many flights were cancelled.

Bangkok was declared a disaster-affected zone after receiving 320 mm of rain over three days late last week, close to the city's usual total for all of September. The interior ministry put the death toll at 24 with 44 of Thailand's 77 provinces affected, while a government spokesperson cited health ministry figures of 40 deaths. Authorities are draining floodwater from the capital into canals, aiming to return conditions to normal within two or three days.