Residents in Chiang Mai have been burning charcoal inside clay stoves to keep warm during a winter cold weather spell.

Footage shows locals warming their hands over the flames at the weekend as temperatures in the northern city have plunged to the low teens during the day and single digits at night.

State meteorologist Phuwiang Prakhammin said that winter will be colder and longer than previous years. He expected the cool season to last for approximately 122 days until mid-February, with average lows of 20C to 21C nationwide throughout the entire season, however, temperatures are much lower in northern parts of Thailand.

The moment a wild elephant strolled over to a Korean BBQ restaurant after smelling grilled pork was caught on camera and widely shared on social media this week.

Locals were happily tucking into the meat when the jumbo emerged from the forest in Nakhon Nayok province on Monday evening (Jan 18).

The female elephant, named Sarika, slowly crossed the road and walked past the parked motorcycles before heading straight to the eatery.

Terrified diners fled their tables when the jumbo was seen approaching while the others were amused to watch the animal sniffing out the barbecued meat.

Restaurant owner Jinwimol Mahasap said: ‘The elephants are harmless. This one is called Sarika and she did not take food that day but it can’t resist the smell of our delicious food. She loves to vist us.’

Jinwimol added that the elephants would often hide at the back of the stall where it’s darker whenever there are many customers.

Aerial footage shows a sprawling field hospital being built in Samut Sakhon province to cope with the recent rise in Covid-19 cases.

The 600 square metre facility, which can hold up to 1,000 patients, is being constructed in Samut Sakhon where the outbreak began among migrant workers in December.

Soldiers from the neighbouring province of Ratchaburi have been stationed near the site to co-ordinate the efforts.

Drone footage recorded on January 14 shows the ongoing work in the extensive construction site for the hospital.

The land was supposed to be used for building a factory. However, the owner, who is also the district’s mayor, changed his mind.

He offered the land to be used for free as a site for the biggest Covid-19 hospital in the country, as cases continue to rise in the province.