Thais navigate flooded homes and ancient temples by boat

Ayutthaya, Thailand: For three months, Thai retiree Somkid Kijniyom has been sleeping in a small boat surviving on dry food handouts in the waist high...

Ayutthaya, Thailand: For three months, Thai retiree Somkid Kijniyom has been sleeping in a small boat surviving on dry food handouts in the waist-high floodwaters that have filled his home.

Relentless rains have plunged Thailand's Ayutthaya province, home to a UNESCO-listed ancient city, into what residents say is its worst flooding in years.

Murky waters have turned residential areas into vast, dangerous canals, reaching depths of up to three metres (10 feet) and creeping up the ancient capital's iconic temple ruins and gilded shrines.

"I have to endure life. I don't know what to do," said Somkid, who eventually constructed a high platform on top of tables to create a safe, dry sleeping area instead of the boat.

Thai retiree Somkid Kijniyom, 69, sits on a boat inside his flooded home in Bang Ban district in the central Thai province of Ayutthaya on November 14, 2025. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)