UNESCO heritage site hit by flood in Thailand

A UNESCO world heritage site on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River in central Thailand's Ayutthaya province was hit by floods Tuesday morning, local media reported. The 500-year Chaiwatthanaram temple is one of Thailand's first UNESCO World Heritage sites and had been threatened by floods and heavy rains for months, but local officials said that the temporary mud and sand bag barriers, some three meters high, collapsed Tuesday morning under the weight and power of the river in full flood. Local TV footage showed that some ancient red-bricked temples were half-submerged in the surging water and local residents were trying to wade through the deluge. Damage has been done to the UNESCO site with at least one ancient chedi collapsing under the force of flood water. Tour operators have postponed tours to the temple until further notice. Officials said they are hopeful that the surge of water, mostly run-off from dams up-stream will recede later this evening. A total of 224 people were confirmed dead in the widespread floods that have harassed the country for more than two months, according to the figures released by the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department earlier Tuesday.