Cambodian flood toll climbs to 207

PHNOM PENH, Oct 10 (AFP): More than 200 people have died in Cambodia's worst floods in over a decade, a disaster official said Monday, as the country scrambled to provide aid for tens of thousands of families. Over 80 children were among those killed in two months of flooding caused by heavy rainfall that has seen the Mekong River burst its banks, according to the National Committee for Disaster Management. More than 270,000 families have seen their homes or livelihoods waterlogged by the floods, which have inundated 350,000 hectares (865,000 acres) of rice paddies across the country, said the committee spokesman Keo Vy. The flooding, which has killed 207 people, including 83 children, is the deadliest since 2000 and represents a huge challenge to the impoverished nation.