Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung ordered authorities of northern coastal Quang Ninh province and relevant agencies on July 28 to take prompt actions to help local residents overcome the consequences of floods caused by heavy rains in the last several days.

Torrential rains, caused by a low pressure trough crossing the northern region, have been recorded in Quang Ninh over the last three days, reaching as high as 800 millimetres in Co To island and Cua Ong ward of Cam Pha city.

Deluge at certain locations in Ha Long, Cam Pha and Uong Bi cities and Dong Trieu, Van Don and Hoanh Bo townships inundated more than 2,000 houses and isolated some residential areas.

Floods have also claimed at least four lives and many others are missing.

The PM asked the Quang Ninh People’s Committee to visit and support suffering families and supply isolated households with staple provisions.

Authorities need to continue evacuating households in severely flooded areas or those vulnerable to flash floods and landslides and mobilise local medical, military, security and youth forces for post-flood cleanup and disease prevention.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung demanded the National Committee for Search and Rescue, the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security deploy forces to help Quang Ninh address the deluge aftermath.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was requested to ensure the safety of reservoirs and the Ministry of Health was asked to prepare for environmental cleanups.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Information and Communications are in charge of resuming the electricity supply and communications. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport will expeditiously repair affected roads to ensure transportation.-VNA