A woman walks through a flooded street in Ayutthaya, 80 km (50 miles) north of Bangkok, October 20, 2010. Credit: Reuters/Sukree Sukplang
(Reuters) - The worst floods in decades in Thailand and severe flooding in neighbouring Cambodia have killed 20 people, authorities said on Wednesday, as rescue workers braced for more rain and possible flooding in Bangkok.
Rescue teams evacuated stranded villagers by boat in some provinces, including the old Thai capital Ayutthaya where flood waters swelled to about 1.5 metres (5 ft) in some districts, cutting off roads and inundating homes, shops and farmlands.
"The water usually comes and goes very quickly but this time, there is so much," said Sabai Maingam, 48, wading through chest-high water in her wooden shophouse.
Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said 12 people had been killed since Oct. 10. In neighbouring Cambodia, eight have died, according to Cambodia's National Committee for Disaster Management.
The erratic weather coincides with a strengthening typhoon heading for southern China after wreaking havoc across the northern Philippines, destroying thousands of homes and killing at least 11 people.
In Thailand, flooding has hit 17 provinces, swamping tens of thousands of acres of farmland and damaging at least one major northeastern road, said Vibul Sanguanpong, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
"We are watching the situation closely to see whether the flooded area will expand," Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters.
Authorities said the swelling Chao Phraya River that winds through Bangkok and nearby provinces could overflow its banks in the coming week, causing flooding in the city of about 15 million people. Bangkok sits only 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) above sea level.
The cabinet on Tuesday doubled a provincial emergency budget to 100 million baht ($3.3 million), said government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn.
He said it was too early to estimate crop damage. Thailand is the world's biggest rice exporter.
In neighbouring Cambodia, floods have caused an estimated $70 million in damage, destroying roads, irrigation systems, bridges and homes, said Nhim Vanda, vice chairman of the government's National Committee for Disaster Management.
"Around 10,000 hectares of rice paddy fields in nation wide were completely destroyed," he told Reuters.
(Additional reporting by Pracha Hariraksapitak and Prak Chan Thul; Writing by Ambika Ahuja; Editing by Jason Szep and Alex Richardson)
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