Vientiane, Laos_(dpa) _ Typhoon Ketsana caused 94.2 million dollars worth of damage in southern Laos in late September, draining the communist country's reserve fund, state media reported Tuesday.
Finance Minister Somdy Douangdy told the National Assembly Monday that the storm had inflicted 800 billion kip (94.2 million dollars) in damages when it struck Attapeu, Saravan and Xekong provinces in September.
It caused extensive damage to roads, irrigation networks, schools, hospitals and government offices, the Vientiane Times reported.
The typhoon forced Laos to withdraw 150 billion kip from the government's reserve fund, leaving it with only 10 billion kip.
The National Assembly, which opened a two-week session Monday, agreed to inject another 50 billion kip into the fund, for dealing with emergency expenditures.
Ketsana, which claimed about a dozen lives in Laos after wreaking havoc in the Philippines and Vietnam, left much of southern Laos under water.
Laos is still soliciting local and international donations to help these provinces, the state-run Vientiane Times reported. dpa bc pj tl im
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