Alarm spreads over out of control forest fires in Laos

A forest fire is reported at Phou Pha Nang mountain in Sangthong district, Vientiane. - VT

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/Asia News Network): Wildfires are burning out of control across hundreds of hectares of land in various parts of the country, with authorities struggling to extinguish the fires as the hot weather continues.

Authorities are concerned that the fires, caused by farmers burning scrubland in preparation for crop planting, could worsen because of a lack of fire-fighting equipment.