Farmers evacuate livestock amid heavy flooding in eastern Thailand

Farmers scrambled to evacuate their livestock as severe flooding struck eastern Thailand.

Staff at the Sakrin hog farm in Trat province guided more than 1,200 pigs across waist-deep floods on July 28.

They corralled the struggling animals to shallower waters, though 10 of the pigs had already drowned.

Soldiers and livestock officials later arrived with trucks to relocate the pigs to another farm in Sa Kaeo province.

The employees said rain had been battering the area for several days but they were unable to leave because they were unauthorised to evacuate the pigs.

They added they were assessing the damage caused by the deluge.

Meanwhile, a poultry farm in the province was also inundated, killing hundreds of chickens.

Pipob Pojnanon, 77, a poultry company partner, said some 28 inches of water flooded his farm and drowned numerous broiler chickens that were ready for sale.

Staff were cleaning the area of chicken corpses as rain continued to fall and storm clouds loomed overhead.

Pipob said: 'Heavy rain and flash floods overflowed from Khlong Tangam canal into the chicken coop, causing around 40,000 chickens to die. I did not know what to do because it happened at night.

'I notified the company but I have not received any help. When I checked again the next morning, I found many chicken corpses littering the farm.

'I have been employed by the poultry raising company for a long time and never had any problems. However, this year, the heavy rain and flash floods came very quickly. I did not have time to take precautions.'

The surviving chickens will be shifted to another location.

Pipob said he still does not know how to dispose of the mountains of chicken corpses left behind.

Thailand and neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia are in their annual monsoon rainy season which sees soaring temperatures followed by powerful rain storms in the afternoon leading to widespread flash floods.