Four dead in P Sihanouk, R’kiri flooding

AT LEAST four people have died a nd t housa nds of families affected by f looding in Preah Sihanouk and Rata na k k iri prov inces follow ing recent heav y thunderstorms.

P r e a h S i h a nou k pr o v i nc i a l spokesperson K hea ng Phea r um said on Sunday that a Cambodian husband and wife were killed on Thursday when a concrete fence collapsed at t he construction site they were working on.

He said a Chinese national who was a brick factor y super v isor was also killed on Friday when another fence collapsed due to f lood water i n Prey Nop dist r ict’s Bit Tra i ng commune.

Phea r u m sa id t he aut hor it ies had sent the bodies of the Cambodian couple to their hometown in Tbong Khmum province.

P r o v i nc i a l g o v e r nor Kuo c h Cha mroeu n s a id a l l av a i la ble

forces were on standby to help save citizens from f looding. “We must not leave anyone in trouble without being rescued,” he said.

I n R a t a n a k k i r i pr ov i nc e , a 15-yea r-old g i rl drow ned a f ter a ferr y sank in Lumphat district on Fr iday. Her body was fou nd t he same day. The v ictim was identif ied a s Ra Rachna, a st udent of Lumphat Secondar y School.

More t ha n 2,180 fa milies have su f fered due to f lood i ng i n t he province’s Lumphat and Kon Mom districts and along the Sre Pok and Sesan rivers. Paddy f ields and ot her crops, l ivestock, schools a nd roads have a ll been af fected.

Ministr y of Water Resources and Meteorolog y spokesma n Cha n Yutha told The Post on Sunday that two more storms are expected this week a s a low-pressu re s ystem moves across nort hern Laos and V iet na m, wh i le t he sout hwest

monsoon continues to have a strong influence on coastal areas.

He said coastal provinces, especially Koh Kong and Preah Sihanouk, will continue to experience heavy rainfall, while strong winds and high waves are expected at sea.

Preah Vihear, Siem Reap, Battambang, Pailin, Banteay Meanchey and Oddar Meanchey provinces will see medium rainfalls this week, Yutha said, while Phnom Penh and Kampong Speu, Takeo and Kandal provinces are expected to experience light to medium rainfall.

Preah Sihanouk spokesperson Phearum said rain was continuing to fall and water levels were still rising in some areas of Sihanoukville but there is not yet a state of emergency.

Some roads in Prey Nop district remained impassable, he said, while measures to release floodwaters from the city – such as restoring and digging canals – continue to be taken.

Koh Kong provincial deputy governor and spokesman Sok Sothy said water had flowed down hillsides over the past two or three days onto National Road 48 where it meets National Road 4.

He said rocks had fallen onto the road near Doung village’s Tatai bridge, but as in Sihanoukville, the provincial authorities in cooperation with the district authorities were using machinery to dig canals to help the water recede and return traffic to normal.

Sothy said rain was continuing to fall but was not as strong as on Saturday. All districts have seen flooding, he said, but Koh Kong and Mondul Seima districts were worst hit – although there have been no serious problems.

He said the total number of villagers affected had not yet been established as the authorities were rescuing them and evacuating people to higher ground first.

Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology spokesman Yutha said heavy rainfall in the Mekong Basin, especially in Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, has caused the level of the Mekong River to increase slightly, but not yet severely.

National Committee for Disaster Management spokesman Keo Vy could not be reached for comment about the number of affected villagers on Sunday.

Minister of Health Mam Bun Heng said on Sunday that a ministry working group had brought medical equipment and nearly two thousand insecticide-treated mosquito nets to Preah Sihanouk and Ratanakiri provinces.

“We and the medical team have provided free medical treatment and supplies to people affected by the floods in both provinces. We made many announcements to help people prepare for floods.

“Fortunately, the flooding in Ratanakkiri has subsided somewhat. We continue to meet villagers and the most important thing is to provide them with healthcare and instruction in various ways they can help themselves,” he said.