Several provinces in central Thailand braced for floods Sunday after the Irrigation Department announced it was releasing water from a major dam after weeks of frequent heavy rain.

Chiang Mai, Thailand’s northern city popular with tourists, has been inundated by widespread flooding as its main river overflowed its banks following heavy seasonal rainfall.

The Chiang Mai city government said the water level of the Ping River, which runs along the eastern edge of the city, was at critically high levels and was rising since Friday.

Two rescued elephants died by drowning at a tourist hotspot in Thailand despite efforts to get the stranded animals out after it was flooded by rapid currents. Faa Sai, a blind female elephant, and Ploy Thong, also a female, were confirmed dead following the “catastrophic flooding”, the Elephant National Park in Chiang Mai said.

Authorities and conservationists are rushing to rescue elephants, pigs and buffaloes from flash flooding in Thailand's northern Chiang Mai province, a senior official said on Friday.