大批市民逃離曼谷躲避洪水

Tens of thousands of people are pouring out of Bangkok, attempting to escape floodwaters that are slowly swallowing the city.

Bangkok residents flocked to airports as well as train and bus stations Friday, while others were trying to drive their way out. Many headed south to areas of higher elevation.

Already, ankle-high water seeping from the banks of the Chao Phraya River has surrounded the city's iconic Grand Palace and officials worry those water levels will rise in the coming days.

Officials are bracing for the river to overflow its banks. The Reuters news agency said Defense Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa was warning residents the flooding could last for at least two months. He told reporters Friday he wanted Bangkok residents "to accept the problem," adding the government would try to fix the situation.

Thai officials blame the country's worst flooding in half a century for 377 deaths.

They are also starting to measure the economic hit.

The Bank of Thailand Friday cut its projections for the country's economic growth almost in half, slashing it from 4.1 percent to just 2.6 percent.數以萬計民衆逃離曼谷以躲避正在慢慢侵吞曼谷的洪水。

星期五，大批曼谷居民紛紛涌向機場、火車站和巴士站，或是自己逃離曼谷。很多人投奔地勢較高的南部地區。

從湄南河流出的河水已經蔓延至曼谷標誌性的大皇宮周圍。有關官員擔心，水位將在今後幾天繼續上漲。

官員已經做好洪水衝破堤防的準備。路透社報導說，泰國國防部長育他薩警告民衆，洪水可能至少要兩個月才能退去。他星期五對記者表示，希望曼谷居民面對困難，政府同時也會盡力解決困境。

泰國官員表示，泰國半個實際以來最嚴重的洪災已經導致377人死亡。泰國官員還在評估洪水對泰國經濟構成的影響。

泰國銀行星期五將泰國經濟增長預期降低將近一半，從4.1%減少到2.6%