Khanh Hoa (VNA) - Torrential rains and upstream reservoir discharges have triggered severe flooding in southern Khanh Hoa province, drowning neighborhoods and leaving residents appealing for help.
As the floodwaters closed in on homes and lives hung in the balance, the Navy Region 4 Command and the Naval Academy, at the request of local authorities, deployed more than 300 officers and soldiers on late November 19, along with rescue gear, vehicles and emergency supplies.
Troops were rushed to the hardest-hit zones, including Suoi Hiep commune, Tay Nha Trang ward, Cam Lam and Cam Hiep communes, and Suoi Dau area. Working alongside local authorities, they evacuated and secured residents from flood-engulfed homes.
In one overnight operation, Navy Region 4 officers reached isolated Cuu Loi 3 hamlet in Cam Lam commune at 3:00 on November 20, bringing nine trapped residents to safety. The rescue mission continued through the early hours as they raced against time to save as many as they could.
The provincial hydro-meteorological station warned on November 20 morning that intense rainfall would persist into the early hours of November 21, driving river levels even higher and threatening to shatter historic flood records in several locations.
Beyond widespread inundation, flash floods and landslides are now lurking along every stream and slope.
Widespread flooding from Gia Lai through Khanh Hoa has halted rail traffic, forcing the railway sector to cancel multiple services on November 20. Suspended trains include SE5 and SE7 departures from Hanoi, SE21 from Da Nang, SE4 from Ho Chi Minh City, SE2 on the Da Nang-Hanoi route, as well as SE8, SE6 and SE22.
It said adjustments to other train schedules would be announced as weather and local conditions are updated.
Following an urgent dispatch issued by the Ministry of Construction on November 17, the Vietnam Railway Authority ordered the state-owned Vietnam Railways Corporation, railway joint stock and signaling companies to pool all available resources for rapid recovery and damage mitigation, with infrastructure safety and uninterrupted traffic given top priority./.
