595 killed in floods in Thailand
Baku, November 19 (AZERTAC). The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said in its daily update Saturday that 595 people have been killed in floods and two are still unaccounted for.
Most of the flood-related deaths have been a result of drowning or electrocution, and there are no epidemic-related warnings to date. But this has not stopped foreign embassies from urging their citizens to avoid traveling to the Thailand for fear of diseases, like diarrhea or leptospirosis.
Thailand`s worst floods in half a century, triggered by months of unusually heavy monsoon rains, are still affecting 18 provinces, including Bangkok, and 5.4 million people. Many areas in the north and west of the capital are still under water.
Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra affirmed Saturday that inner Bangkok would be spared from floods while the government would speed up the process of compensating flood victims.
“It`s certain that the inner zone of Bangkok will be safe from floods because the measures to hold floodwaters have been successful,” said Yingluck in her weekly radio and television address from the Indonesian resort island of Bali, where she is attending the ASEAN summits.
Yingluck also briefed the meetings about Thailand`s flood rehabilitation plan to regain confidence among foreign investors and proposed ASEAN enhance cooperation in the management of flood disasters and water resources.
Restoring confidence in the government is an urgent task for Yingluck. Her administration is being strongly criticized for poor management of the flood crisis.
Relief agencies continue to work to provide necessities like rescue boats, life vests, water-treatment filters and basic hygiene kits with items like soap, chlorine drops for water purification and alcohol hand-wash gel.
Other news in this section
