Heavy rains damage a house in Da Bac district, northern Hoa Binh province. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi(VNA) – Widespread floods triggered by a tropical depression over the past fewdays have killed 54 people as of 22:00 pm on October 12, according to the Central Steering Committee for NaturalDisaster Prevention and Control.
Another 39 people were still missing while 31 were injured.
The depression hit central Vietnamon October 10, bringing lengthy heavy rains to the region and northernmountainous provinces.
In the hardest-hit northern province of Hoa Binh, 17 peopledied and 15 others were missing. The number included 19 people in four familiesburied in a devastating landslide in Khanh village, Phu Cuong commune, Tan Lacdistrict in early morning of October 12.
Some 300 rescuers have been deployed to the site, accordingto the committee. By the afternoon, nine bodies have been recovered while tenothers are unaccounted for.
The death toll climbed to 14 people in Thanh Hoa, 9 in NgheAn, 6 in Son La and Yen Bai provinces each, and two in Hanoi.
The committee estimated that 189houses were collapsed and over 30,800 others were submerged in floods. Theheavy rains have also destroyed over 22,900 hectares of rice and more than 29,000hectares of maize and vegetables, drowned about 16,300 hectares of fruit treesand killed or washed away approximately 180,500 cattle and poultry.
[Prime Minister directs responses to severe flooding]
Prime MinisterNguyen Xuan Phuc has sent urgent notices to state agencies and governments ofcities and provinces affected by the tropical depression, directing responsesto flooding.
He urged state agencies and localadministrations to keep a close watch on the weather conditions and stayvigilant for any emergency, particularly in the face of typhoon Khanun whichfreshly emerged in the East Sea.-VNA
VNA
