Search and rescue efforts are underway at a collapsed house with nine members inside in Ha Long City. Photo: VNA
Fifteen people died and another seven were missing in torrential rain that lasted for three days in northern Quang Ninh province.
The rain, the heaviest down-pour in 40 years, was measured at 828mm in places. It started in the northeastern part of the province on July 26 and caused over one trillion VND (45.8 million USD) in damage by 21pm on July 28.
The provincial People’s Committee said that more than 2,800 houses collapsed in the deluge and 143 ha of crops and about 880 fishing pens were swamped with water. Many local roads were blocked due to landslide.
The Quang Ninh Water Supply Company has also been forced to stop supplying tap water to homes in Ha Long and Cam Pha cities for up to a fortnight because falling trees and landslides broke the main water-pipe system.
The rain also left about 1,600 tourists stranded on Co To and Quan Lan islands. Most of them were on Co To.
Hoang Ba Nam, chairman of the People’s Committee on Co To, asked hotels and guest houses to give stranded tourists 30 to 50 percent discounts to help them.
About 1,000 families in Cam Pha city were evacuated to safe places on the afternoon of July 28.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on July 28 ordered the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Public Security to mobilise all available manpower and resources in the province to help local residents flight off adversities caused by the historic torrential rain.
Other ministries and Government agencies were ordered to step up their efforts to restore the province’s transport, power and communication infrastructure. They were also charged with the task of cleaning up the environment to prevent disease outbreaks and helping local residents return to normal life.
The same day, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai ordered the provincial People’s Committee to evacuate people living in areas of high alert for flash floods and landslides. The committee was also told to provide food and water for households in inundated areas, Hai said.
The National Central for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said more torrential rains are expected in the next two days.
Heavy rains are also expected to blanket other provinces and cities in the northern region up until August 2.-VNA
