Mekong floods kill 6, force nearly 5,000 families in Cambodia to evacuate

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Six Cambodians have died so far and nearly 5,000 families have evacuated to higher grounds after Mekong floods hit five provinces along the river, a disaster control spokesman said on Monday.

Keo Vy, a spokesman for the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), said the provinces of Stung Treng, Kratie, Tboung Khmum, Kampong Cham and Prey Veng have suffered from the Mekong overflow since late last month.

"At least six people, including four children, were reportedly died of drownings, as 4,929 families have evacuated to safer ground," he told Xinhua, adding that the floods also inundated about 18,255 hectares of rice paddy and crops.

He said the Cambodian Red Cross has actively distributed relief goods to those flood-hit families since last week.

Floods usually hit Cambodia between late July and October. In 2011, the Southeast Asian country suffered the worst from flooding, which killed up to 250 people, according to the NCDM.

source http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-08/06/c_137371755.htm