Floods kill 152 people, affect 418,770 families in Cambodia

The Mekong River and flash floods have killed at least 152 people and affected 418,770 families in 20 provinces in Cambodia, disaster control officials said Friday. Pon Narith, Secretary General of the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), said floods have hit the country twice this year between August and October. The first flood killed 13 people and the second one claimed 139 lives. Besides, 27,500 families have been forced to flee homes for higher grounds, he said at a flood impact evaluation meeting, adding that some 208,200 houses, 1,390 schools, and 500 pagodas have been submerged. Moreover, 300,500 hectares of rice paddy have been inundated, in which 28,100 hectares were completely damaged, he said. Also, about 241 kilometers of national roads and over 3,100 kilometers of gravel roads had been affected. NCDM's Vice-President Nhim Vanda said at the meeting that floodwaters had receded in most areas and, now, it was the time to consider the post-flood rehabilitation. "This year's flood is as bad as that in 2011," he said. "It is estimated to cost the country at a similar amount to that in 2011. " The 2011's floods killed 250 people and cost the country 521 million U.S. dollars, mainly due to the damages of roads and rice paddies. Floods usually hit Cambodia between August and October. Last year, only 14 people were killed.