20 dead in flash floods in Thailand

At least 20 people are dead and about 100 missing after heavy rains triggered a flash flood that washed away several villages in a northern Thai province.

Police in Phetchabun province, 186 miles north of Bangkok, said water swept down a mountainside to wipe out houses.

Twenty bodies have been recovered so far, said a district police officer. He said many others were missing.

The final casualty toll is likely to be high because the flash flood came when people were asleep, he said.

Later reports from Thai media citing local officials put the death toll higher.

Heavy rains have caused flooding in much of Thailand's north and northeast. Flash floods during the rainy season, which lasts from June to October, are a perennial problem in Thailand.