Eight dead as floods raging in central Vietnam
Eight people died and another went missing as the floods that followed a tropical storm early this week have inundated many areas in central Vietnam over the past few days, local authorities reported.
The ongoing floods were triggered by torrential rains, with rainfall of up to over 300 mm, in the wake of tropical storm Vamco that hit the region on September 14.
Five of the deceased were in Nghe An Province, two in Ha Tinh, and the other in Thanh Hoa.
The Nghe An victims include a six-year-old boy who was swept away by flood on September 17 and a 42-year-old man who was hit by lightning strike when he was fishing in a flooded field the same day.
Three other victims, a two-year-old boy and two students, died drowning in floodwater in Yen Thanh District on Friday. The only missing person is also a student in Yen Thanh.
In Ha Tinh, two boys aged 10 and 17 in Huong Khe and Huong Son districts were swept away by flood water on September 17 afternoon. Their bodies were recovered later the same day.
Also on September 17, a 57-year-old woman was struck to death by lightning in Thanh Hoa while she was working on a paddy field.
Downpours, with rainfall ranging from 200 to over 300 mm, have submerged over 1,000 hectares of rice, damaged houses and 13 irrigation works, and caused serious landslides and rock slides in Nghe An, local authorities said on September 18.
In Thanh Hoa, torrential rains have submerged about 800 houses and collapsed eight others, and damaged over 2,700 hectares of rice and other crops.
The downpours have also caused the water levels of many rivers in the province, including Buoi and Ma, to rise over the past few days, according to provincial authorities.
Many rivers in other central and northern provinces have also risen, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
They include Thao River in Yen Bai, Hoang Long River in Ninh Binh, Ngan Pho River in Ha Tinh, and Lo River in Thanh Hoa.
As of Thursday night, torrential rains and flooding have also occurred in many northern provinces, including Hanoi, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.