Jet skier arrested after ‘joyride’ in Bangkok floods
Jet skier arrested after ‘joyride’ in Bangkok floods
Alexandra SnowMon, September 28, 2026 at 3:22 PM UTC
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Sorn Keadsiri was given a 15-day suspended sentence for jet skiing along flooded roads - Zuma Press/Avalon/Nattaphon Phanphongsanon
A jet skier who rode through flood waters in Bangkok has been prosecuted.
Sorn Keadsiri, 27, sprayed water over pavements and sent waves surging into shopfronts on Sunday, the day after the Thai capital declared a state of disaster.
Heavy monsoon rainfall had submerged the city and forced thousands of people to leave their homes. Rainfall in many areas of Bangkok exceeded 300mm over three days – about half of London’s annual fall.
Residents were forced to find alternative transport methods, for example using inflatable paddling pools and shopping trolleys to float through the waist-deep waters.
A Thai couple see the funny side as they attempt a trolley dash through the flooded streets of Bangkok - Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha
However, several complained to police after being splashed by Keadsiri’s jet ski, the Bangkok Post reported. After his arrest, he claimed he had intended to make people smile while the city was suffering.
He was charged with “causing a public nuisance” and given a 15-day suspended sentence and a fine.
The deluge caused the canals to burst their banks, sending muddy water into homes, restaurants, shops and alleyways.
Many people have been scared to enter flooded shops, so business owners have been moving their goods on to the streets in makeshift boats.
More than 500,000 homes and 1.7 million people across 41 provinces remain affected, the interior ministry said on Monday.
A plastic container becomes the best form of transport for one young resident in Bangkapi district - EPA/Shutterstock/Rungroj Yongrit
Thailand is used to wet weather, and September is the peak of the rainy season, but many residents said this year had been worse.
The flooding stemmed from a cell of low pressure that hung above central Thailand for days, causing unrelenting rain.
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Since mid-September, Thailand’s floods have killed eight people in eastern provinces, with Bangkok one of 41 regions affected.
Nattapon Mankean, said his apartment complex in eastern Bangkok had no electricity or water, so he had evacuated the building with his girlfriend and their two cats.
Mr Mankean, 32, told AFP on Sunday: “Our phone batteries died, we had no running water – everything became difficult. It was terrible, I couldn’t do anything. I had to get out.”
Bangorn Dednuam, 60, who was searching for food on the streets after running out at home, said: “We have no more food to eat, because we didn’t prepare in time. We didn’t manage to pack our things in time, so there’s nothing stocked in the fridge.”
Their shops flooded, vendors take to the flooded streets to fish for business - EPA/Shutterstock/Rungroj Yongrit
Anutin Charnvirakul, the Thai prime minister, visited a heavily flooded housing estate in Bang Kapi district and helped distribute relief supplies on Sunday. Floodwaters started to recede on Monday, but more rain was expected.
The floods could cause economic damage of at least 11bn baht (£247m) nationwide, with losses that were predicted to rise unless the situation improves, said Aat Pisanwanich, who works in the economics department of Rangsit University.
Mr Pisanwanich told Reuters: “The flooding is expected to shave 0.3 percentage points off this year’s GDP growth, reducing growth to 2.1 per cent, and cut third-quarter growth by about 0.5 percentage points to 1.7 per cent.”
Bangkok authorities declared all 50 districts to be disaster-affected areas - JNA via Zuma Press Wire/Captain Jirathummanuwat
Bangkok’s main airport has told passengers to expect disruptions. Suvarnabhumi airport said baggage was piling up because of “insufficient staffing to support ground-handling operations” and problems with baggage carts.
The rains that lashed Thailand also hit neighbouring Myanmar, where rescuers said heavy floods and landslides in the southern region of Tanintharyi killed at least eight people.
Three of the recovered bodies were teenagers who had gathered at a monastery on Sunday, but had been swept away by a landslide that had hit their village, burying 18 buildings, Hein Htet, a local volunteer, said.
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Source: “AOL Breaking”
