Floods triggered by unseasonably rainy weather during the weekend inundated 20 low-lying areas of Bangkok, dampening the traditional New Year celebration of Songkran that began last Thursday.

The Nation reported that the rain has increased the number of holiday traffic accidents, killing 26 people and leaving 180 others injured.

The Thai New Year is observed by sprinkling scented water on one another to symbolically wash away the sins of the old year and to keep cool at the height of the region's warm season.