Vietnam floods worst in forty years

Disaster relief officials in Vietnam say flooding in the Mekong Delta, in the country's important southern rice-growing region, is the worst in forty years.

At least three people have been killed and thousands of hectares of rice crops have been destroyed by the floods, and weather forecasts indicate water levels could rise even further in the next ten days.

Vietnam is accustomed to flooding, but this year's heavy rains have come early, before farmers had finished harvesting the current crop. The worst affected provinces are Dong Thap, An Giang and Kien Giang. More than twelve-thousand soldiers have been helping local people to harvest rice and reinforce embankments, but authorities say they fear the floods could lead to food shortages and disease. On Monday, disaster officials in neighbouring Cambodia appealed for aid organisations to help people affected by flood-related diseases, including fever and malaria.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service