Thai, Myanmar floods leave 173 dead
Pastor Dale Morgan
Thai, Myanmar floods leave 173 dead*
BANGKOK, Oct 27 (AFP) Oct 27, 2006
The death toll from severe flooding in Thailand and neighboring Myanmar
has risen to 173, as central Thailand continued to battle against high
waters, officials said Friday.
The floods began in late August, and at their peak earlier this month
had inundated 47 of Thailand's 76 provinces, as well as broad swaths of
central and eastern Myanmar.
In Thailand, 154 people have been killed, while 3.5 million have
suffered damages from the floods, the interior ministry said in a statement.
Nineteen people have been killed in neighboring Myanmar.
Concerns about high waters on the Chao Phraya River, which runs through
Bangkok and has flooded in some areas, prompted the city to cancel the
annual Loy Kratong festival set for November 5.
Traditionally Thais celebrate the festival by setting small banana leaf
floats with flowers, candles and incense on the river to honor the water
goddess.