Hero soldier carries stray dog on shoulders as floods hit thousands of homes in Thailand

Hero soldier carries stray dog on shoulders as floods hit thousands of homes in Thailand

A hero soldier carried a stranded pet dog to safety as thousands of homes were battered by tropical storm Sinlaku in northern Thailand today (Aug 3).

Theerachot Homjom saved the hapless creature when torrents of muddy water from heavy rain swamped homes in Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand on Sunday morning.

"The floods can destroy my house but not this beautiful dog," said Theerachot, a solider who had been assisting villagers during the floods in Northern Thailand.

Heavy rain caused flash floods which submerged homes in more than 44 provinces including Chiang Mai, Loei, Phayao, Lampang, and Nong Bua Lamphu.

The Kuang River bust its banks, Chiang Mai, causing torrents of muddy water to hit buildings as residents fled to higher ground.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered rescue workers to provide urgent help to more than 1,000 households in Loei, which is one of the worst-hit regions.

Many residents were today being moved to higher ground.

Officials from the Thai Meteorological Department said that heavy rain and flash-flood warnings were still in force until at least Tuesday, with rain expected throughout the week.

However, tropical storm Sinlaku has now weakened into a tropical depression after moving into north-central Vietnam, where strong winds and rain were felt.

The storm also moved into parts of Laos.

There have so far not been any casualties reported.