Thailand's flood death toll climbs to 562

The worst deluge in over 50 years has left 562 people dead and two missing during more than three-month flooding, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department reported Monday. Flooding situation still prevails in 22 provinces, including capital Bangkok city, in central and northeastern region while 42 other provinces are on the way of restoring, said the report. Some five million residents are still suffering. In Bangkok, 27 communities in 13 districts have been affected by floods. The inundation caused by heavy monsoon rains and tropical storms has lashed 64 out of 77 provinces across the country since late July, affecting more than 13 million, or one in every five Thais. Tens of thousands of manufactures were swamped, putting over a million of employees at the risk of losing their jobs and causing about 4.5 billion U.S. dollars worth of loss, let alone the economic damage which was expected between 23 to 28 billion U.S. dollars.