Ten dead as tropical storm Ketsana hits Cambodia

Phnom Penh  - Ten people have died in Cambodia after tropical storm Ketsana swept west from Vietnam into Cambodia overnight, a senior government official said Wednesday.

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith told the German Press Agency dpa that nine people died and 12 were injured in Kampong Thom province north of the capital Phnom Penh. Thirty homes were destroyed in the province.

He added that a man died in the north-eastern province of Ratanakkiri when a tree was toppled by high winds and fell on him.

Khieu Kanharith said the storm had moved further west and was causing heavy rain in the tourist town of Siem Reap - home to the famous Angkor temples - but said no further deaths or injuries had been reported.

"The Cambodian Red Cross will take action in cooperation with the National Committee for Disaster Management [to provide help to those affected]," Khieu Kanharith said.

Ketsana made landfall in central Vietnam on Tuesday causing at least 31 deaths and widespread flooding before heading west into Cambodia. It had earlier caused severe damage and hundreds of deaths in the Philippines. (dpa)