Moon River bursts banks

Villagers, soldiers and officials had raced to fill sandbags and build a flood wall along Khok Phra-Lam Moon Road in Non Sung district to prevent water from the river from inundating the paddy fields, but they were too late.

The road was submerged and the water poured across the farmland. No immediate estimate of the damage was available, but 200 families were affected.

The flooding covered rice paddy in five of the district's tambons _ Lam Moon, Jan-ad, Muang Prasart, Tharn Prasart, Bing and Don Chompu.

The paddy was about to be harvested when the floods struck. A 500-metre section of Khok Phra-Lam Moon Road was also submerged by floodwater making the road impassable to small vehicles.

Non Sung assistant district chief Kritsanathorn Lerdsamrong said more than 200 households in the flood-hit tambons were affected.

The Nakhon Ratchasima governor declared the areas disaster zones.

Authorities were providing assistance to flood victims.

A huge volume of rainfall and water discharged from four large reservoirs in the province caused the water level in the Moon River to rise sharply and overflow, he said.