Chiang Mai, Thailand’s northern city popular with tourists, has been inundated by widespread flooding as its main river overflowed its banks following heavy seasonal rainfall.

Flash floods in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, a popular destination for tourists, forced authorities to put the city on high alert as the it experienced significant flooding on September 5 due to the overflow of the Ping River following heavy seasonal rains.

Areas of a key tourist city in northern Thailand, as well as the surrounding provinces, have been flooded by swelling water levels of a major river in addition to a dam exceeding storage capacity.

Heavy rainfall swept through northern Thailand on Friday, October 4, causing the second major flood within a week. Residents of Chiang Mai and surrounding areas were forced to evacuate to higher ground,

The Chiang Mai city government said the water level of the Ping River, which runs along the eastern edge of the city, was at critically high levels and was rising since Friday.

Chiang Mai, Thailand’s northern city popular with tourists, was inundated by widespread flooding Saturday as its main river overflowed its banks following heavy seasonal rainfall.