PHNOM PENH, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Mekong River floods have killed 15 people in Cambodia over the past three weeks, forcing thousands of families to evacuate to higher grounds, a disaster control spokesman said Monday.

Keo Vy, a spokesman for the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), said six provinces -- Stung Treng, Kratie, Tboung Khmum, Kampong Cham, Prey Veng, and Kandal -- have suffered from the Mekong River overflow since late last month.

So far, 15 people including seven children have died from drowning and 5,811 families have evacuated to safe grounds, he told Xinhua, adding that the floods also submerged some 28,540 hectares of rice paddy and crops.

The spokesman said the floods have begun to recede since Sunday and he hoped the situation would be improved in coming days.

Floods usually hit Cambodia between July and October. In 2011, the Southeast Asian country suffered the worst from flooding, killing up to 250 people, according to the NCDM.