Viangchan (Vientiane), Laos, August 16, 2008—A man pulls his boat through floodwaters at the Xiengkuane Buddha Park, about 16 miles (25 kilometers) east of the Laotian capital.

Heavy rains throughout the region caused water levels to rise in the Mekong River, which flows through Laos, to a peak of 45 feet (13.7 meters) last week—the highest recorded levels in at least a hundred years.

Annual flooding of the Mekong is crucial to rice farming and fishing in some regions along its path, but months of unusually heavy rains have caused deadly landslides and spurred evacuations.

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