Sunday, 17 August 2008

Flooding Strikes Asia, Killing 4 In Laos And Affecting Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand

August 16, 2008

Linda Young - AHN Editor

Bangkok, Thailand (AHN) - Flooding struck Myanmar and other Asian countries on Friday, causing mudslides in Laos that killed four people and causing rivers to overflow into fields in parts of parts Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.

Flood waters reached record high levels of 44.8 feet on the Mekong River in Laos before beginning to recede on Friday, beating the old record high of 40.61 feet in 1960, officials reportedly said. Flooding there also cut electricity in some areas and resulted in roads blocked by landslides.

In central Myanmar where residents hadn't fully recovered from Cyclone Nargis in May, torrential rains and flooding forced residents from their homes. However, the water has reportedly receded, planted rice fields were not affected and there were no reports of casualties there.

But farmers weren't so lucky in Laos where three provinces along the Mekong River were affected when flooding damaged dikes and affected thousands of acres.

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