Floods kill at least 30 in Cambodia, thousands have to flee

PanARMENIAN.Net - . At least 30 people in Cambodia have died in recent floods caused by heavy rains and the Mekong River overflowing its banks, a disaster relief official said Monday, Sept 30, according to the Associated Press.

Keo Vy of Cambodia's disaster management committee the floods have also forced more than 9,000 families to flee their homes and destroyed nearly 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres) of rice fields.

He added that nearly 67,000 houses were damaged or submerged, as well as 513 schools, 300 Buddhist pagodas and 25 health centers. Nine of the country's 24 provinces have been affected so far, he said.

Four people died Sunday night when their car drove into a flooded pond in the eastern province of Prey Veng, police said.

The government warned that the rains will continue as Typhoon Wutip headed toward neighboring Vietnam late Monday.

Tens of thousands of people were being evacuated from high-risk areas in central Vietnam, as typhoon Wutip that sank at least two Chinese fishing ships neared the coast. A total of 75 fishermen are missing after three vessels encountered strong winds near the Paracel Islands, according to a statement on the website of the Hainan government in south China. Two of the vessels sank Sunday and contact with the third has been lost, it said. Typhoon Wutip was expected to hit the central coast later Monday with sustained winds of up to 93 miles per hour and gusts up to 125 mph, Vietnam’s weather forecaster said.

Fatalities and dislocations caused by floods are an annual problem for Cambodia at this time of year. About 250 people were killed in 2011 in the worst flooding in a decade, according to the government.

This year's flooding death toll already has exceeded the 14 people reported killed by flooding in the relatively dry year of 2012.

Last week, typhoon Usagi killed at least 25 people in Guangdong province of south China. Winds of up to 180 km/h (110 mph) were recorded in some areas, toppling trees and blowing cars off roads. Its victims drowned or were hit by debris. The storm has affected 3.5 million people on the Chinese mainland.

Earlier in the month, Mexican authorities say 97 people were killed by storms that hit the country. In the village of La Pintada, near the Pacific coast, a landslide partially engulfed the town. At least 15 bodies have been recovered and almost 70 residents were missing. More than 100,000 people were affected.