
Hanoi (VNA) – Natural disasters have claimed 280 lives and caused a total loss of approximately29.9 trillion VND (close to 1.29 billion USD) to Vietnam since the beginning of this year,according to the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Preventionand Control.
The country hasso far recorded 13 typhoons entering the East Sea, 114 flash floods andlandslides, 86 earthquakes and 264 thunderstorms and whirlwinds while drought, saltwater intrusion andriver and coastal erosion have wreaked havoc across the Mekong Delta provinces.
The naturaldisasters also injured 856 people and left 66 others unaccounted for. Torrentialrains, floods and landslidescollapsed over 3,420 houses, damaged over 327,700 and submerged nearly 509,800others, affecting livelihoods of millions of people.
Typhoon Vamco,the 13th storm to enter the East Sea this year, has so far caused 24 people incentral Vietnam to suffer injuries, the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority reported.
Seven housescollapsed and more than 7,500 others were damaged or had their roofs blownaway. The tropical storm also sank and destroyed 27 vessels and eroded close to39km of riverbank and sea dykes.
The storm madelandfall in the central region on November 15 morning, and weakened into atropical depression after hitting Thua Thien-Hue province./.