Thousands flee Bangkok floodwaters

BANGKOK - Thousands of Bangkok residents flocked to bus, rail and air terminals on Thursday while heavy traffic snaked out of the sprawling Thai capital in an exodus from a mass of approaching floodwater.

Water was seeping into central areas of the city of 12 million people, entering the grounds of the Grand Palace after the main Chao Phraya River overflowed at high tide, but most of downtown Bangkok was still dry.

A huge runoff from the north equivalent to almost half a million Olympic swimming pools is expected to reach the capital at the same time as seasonal high tides this weekend, testing the city's flood defenses.