Mekong river is overflowing - 20 Cambodian cities and provinces flooded, six dead

PHNOM PENH (Bernama-Xinhua): The Mekong River overflowing and flash floods have affected different areas in 20 cities and provinces across Cambodia, leaving at least six people dead so far, the spokesperson for the National Committee for Disaster Management has announced.

"Some 29,489 families have been affected, with 2,029 of them being evacuated to safer areas," Soth Kim Kolmony told Xinhua.

"The floods have claimed six lives and left six others injured," he said.

Kolmony added that the floods, which usually hit the country between August and October, have also inundated 22,713 hectares of rice fields and 3,026 hectares of other crops.

He said the country also recorded 73 deaths from lightning strikes and nine fatalities from storms during the January-September period this year. - Bernama-Xinhua