The Mekong River level in the northeastern province of Nong Khai on Wednesday continued its rapid rise – up two metres in a single day – prompting sand-digging operators and workers on both Thailand and Laos riverbanks to move their machines and sand to higher ground to evade the torrential water.

The spike in dengue fever cases in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima has continued to worsen, with 4,080 patients and two deaths as of July 18, making it the country’s fifth worst-hit province, Nakhon Ratchasima health office head Dr Narinrat Pitchayakamin said on Friday.