The swollen waters of the Mississippi River in the central U.S. have
broken through another embankment, threatening to flood more houses and
farmland.
The sandbag-reinforced levee broke early this Friday
morning near the city of Winfield, in the state of Missouri, about 70
kilometers northeast of St. Louis. Officials say it will "ultimately
inundate" the town.
It is the latest of dozens of embankments to
fail to contain the rain-flooded Mississippi over the past 10 days,
ruining buildings and huge areas of farmland.
Authorities say
the worst of the flooding is over. But the effects are likely to
continue. The farms are major producers of corn, wheat and soybeans,
prompting fears that crop losses will result in higher worldwide food
prices.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
