Death toll of heavy Monsoon flooding in Thailand rises to 30

The death toll in nearly three weeks of heavy monsoon flooding in Thailand rose to 30 on Friday, with 2.9 million residents affected, local officials said. The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said the highest casualty toll was in the north-eastern province of Surin, where 11 people have died in flood-related incidents since September 17. It said residents of 33 provinces have had their lives disrupted by the downpours and flash floods, with 4,947 roads and 201 bridges damaged. The department warned that heavy rains were expected in the next few days in the eastern and southern provinces, including the tourist resort areas of Phuket and Surat Thani. The Thai government has said that Bangkok would likely be spared from major flooding this year, and said a repeat of the massive flooding of 2011, in which 813 people were killed nationwide and economic losses topped 40 billion dollars, was unlikely.