DHAKA: Heavy monsoon rains exacerbated by Typhoon Usagi have pounded parts of Vietnam and Cambodia killing at least 36 people, the authorities said on Tuesday, with many swept to their deaths in floods.

Despite not being directly hit by Usagi, the world’s most powerful storm this year, parts of South-east Asia have seen a worsening of their annual rainy season as the typhoon barrelled through the Philippines and China in recent days.

Central and southern Vietnam have been hit by bad weather since early last week, inundating fields and villages, with 24 dead and six missing, according to a 10-day update from the country’s flood and storm control department.

In Cambodia, officials said low pressure from the typhoon caused heavy rains, swelling the Mekong River with floods sweeping across several provinces, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1832 HRS, SEPT 24, 2013
RoR/RK