( CNN ) -- Thailand 's capital was braced for unprecedented flooding Wednesday , amid the monsoon rains that have overwhelmed much of the country as well as Laos , Cambodia and the Philippines in recent weeks . `` It 's going to be clearer over the next couple days '' whether Bangkok can be spared the brunt of the flooding said Matthew Cochrane , spokesperson for the International Red Cross in Bangkok . So far , 281 people have been killed and four people are missing in Thailand , according to the country 's Flood Relief Operations Command . Some 60 of the country 's 76 provinces have so far been affected , impacting some eight million people . `` It 's really quite serious , these are the worst floods in Thailand since 1949 , '' Cochrane said . `` These floods started in June really and started to move south and have really caused huge damage the whole way down , '' Cochrane said . `` They 've affected hundreds and hundreds of villages and towns , they 've wiped out 2.5 million acres of farmland . This is a very , very serious disaster . '' Over half a million square kilometers -- an area the size of Spain -- are affected by the floods in Thailand , Cambodia , Vietnam and Laos , according to CNN meteorologist Jenny Harrison . Asia 's wet and wild 2011 explained . In Bangkok officials beefed up flood prevention measures as waterways , including the main Chao Phraya River , became bloated by rising water . `` There are walls still being built in the north of the city , '' Cochrane said Wednesday . `` One of the challenges is the areas where flood waters are typically diverted to protect the capital and protect the economic center of the country , those areas are already flooded , so there 's potentially not much room for those waters to go . '' `` For Bangkok we are still confident that the inner part of the city will be safe from ( flooding ) , '' said Thitima Chaisaeng , Thailand government spokesperson , but the eastern and western parts of Bangkok face flooding . On Monday , Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra ordered canal dredging and reinforcement of flood-prevention embankments to protect the city , state-run news agency MCOT reported . In addition , three new flood-prevention walls were being built at two locations in Rangsit , in northern Bangkok , and in Taling Chan , in the western part of the city . Tourists warned as floods continue to wreak havoc in Thailand . The government needs another 1.5 million sandbags , MCOT reported . The prime minister called on the private sector to supply them , but said the government will buy all the needed sandbags by Wednesday , the news agency said . Meanwhile , around 1,200 people have taken shelter in a gymnasium at Bangkok 's Thammasat University . Most of them are from neighboring Ayutthaya province and other flood-affected areas around the capital , said Thanawat Srisuwan , a volunteer at the makeshift shelter . The authorities have set up almost 200 other temporary shelters around the city to receive flood victims . The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said plans were in place to evacuate people from nine areas , mainly in eastern Bangkok , if needed . Elsewhere , patients in two hospitals in Thailand 's Ayutthaya and Nakhon Sawan provinces had to be evacuated after water reached the first floor , the flood operations command said . Multiple tropical weather systems have moved over the region in recent weeks , enhancing monsoon rains and leading to the flooding . Heavy rains are expected in Southeast Asia through the end of October . According to the government website Thaiflood.com , water from northern Thailand has finally reached lower parts of central Thailand , penetrating dykes in Pathumthani and Nonthaburi provinces and flooding outer areas of Bangkok , including the market in Nonthaburi and Chiang Rang road . The giant Rojana Industrial Park has halted operations for the time being , director Amara Charoengitwattanagun told MCOT , and the facility may be further damaged if the flooding worsens . One plant in the park , Single Point Parts , evacuated all workers from the premises and built flood prevention embankments around its building . Honda also confirmed operations at its Rojana plant have been halted . The Japanese automaker says the closure of the plant has already affected the manufacture of 4,500 vehicles . Meanwhile the UNESCO-listed Ayutthaya historical park , which includes the ruins of the old city of Ayutthaya , has been submerged since last week , according to local authorities . `` This is the worst flood in our historical site in 16 years , '' said Somsuda Leeyawanich , from the Thai Fine Arts Department . She said the water level in the park is almost three meters , compared to levels of around 80-90 centimeters during the floods of 1995 . `` We are very concerned that if the site is under water more 30 days it may cause serious damage , '' she added . `` The temples are over 400 years old . '' CNN 's Kocha Olarn contributed to this report .
In Thailand 281 people have been killed and four are missing . An area the size of Spain is affected by the floods in Southeast Asia . Note : * Bangkok seems to be spared from brunt of floods . Floods are ' worst to hit Thailand since 1949 , ' destroying 2.5 million hectares of farmland .