Floods sweep northern Thailand

People were sleeping as the floods swept down the mountainside

At least 40 people have been killed and as many as 100 are missing after devastating floods in northern Thailand, local authorities say.

Flash floods and landslides hit the province of Phetchabun, 300 km (186 miles) north of the capital, Bangkok, before dawn on Saturday, sweeping away a number of villages.

Rescuers are battling to find those still unaccounted for.

In recent days there has been widespread flooding across Thailand's north and east, forcing the closure of schools and the evacuation of several villages.

Flash floods are common during the rainy season from June to October, but correspondents say the situation has been made worse by the effects of massive deforestation.

The unseasonably wet weather has been caused by Typhoon Usagi, which has left tens of thousands of people homeless and at least three dead in neighbouring Vietnam.

Death toll to climb

The authorities in Phetchabun's Lom Sak district said floodwaters and mudslides from the Khor mountain hit seven villages situated in the valley below at about 0400 local time (2100 GMT).

Emergency services later said some of the 40 dead were children as young as two years old.

"The figure isn't surprising since the flood came while they were sleeping and was too strong for women and children," one official said.

Some 50 houses in the seven villages are thought to have been destroyed.

Deforestation

According to a statement from the Interior Ministry's civil defence department the villages had been submerged under 2 metres (6.5 feet) of water.

The rainy season in Thailand lasts from June to October and floods are an annual problem.

In recent years, massive deforestation has eroded the top soil and stripped the vegetation that helps prevent landslides and floods.