Flooding in Laos, Asia by Jay Wynne
At least four people have been killed by floods and landslides in Laos after weeks of unusually heavy rain.
Much of the flooding has been attributed to rising water levels in the Mekong River. Torrential rain in southern China, Laos and Thailand raised river levels significantly, breaking river levees. Consequently, Laos has experienced some of the worst flooding in living memory.
Laos’s capital, Vientiane has been particularly badly hit as well as parts of northeast Thailand where flood watches remain in force. Here, mudslides have cut off roads, fields and homes were washed away by floodwaters and public transport in the capital ground to a halt.
The Mekong River runs for 2,703 miles (4,350km) from the glaciers of Tibet to the rice-rich delta of southern Vietnam. Downriver in eastern Thailand and low-lying Cambodia, annual flooding, to some extent, is crucial to rice and fish production. However with so much torrential rain falling in and around the rivers vicinity, the flooding has been damaging.
The recent torrential rains across southeast Asia were attributed to the remnants of tropical storm Kammuri. Thunderstorms and heavy downpours lashed much of northern Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.
Forecasters are expecting further rain through today and for much of tomorrow, but with it turning drier for a time by around mid week.
