Vietnamese rescue forces discovered seven additional bodies yesterday, bringing the death toll from flash floods and a landslide in northern Vietnam to 14, with 11 people still missing and seven others being treated for injuries, authorities said.
Lai Chau, which is Vietnam’s most sparsely populated province, as well as its poorest, reported 11 deaths and 11 missing, while Ha Giang province reported three deaths, the Central Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control updated in a report as of 1200 GMT yesterday.
Heavy rains during the weekend resulted in deadly flash floods in four northern provinces, the Committee said.
Authorities have mobilised more than 40,000 soldiers and militiamen for search and rescue and to help provide shelter for survivors.
Regional rainfall of up to 463mm was recorded at the weekend, according to the
committee.
Nearly 70 houses in Lai Chau, Ha Giang, Lao Cai and Thai Nguyen provinces were swept away in heavy rains, which began late Saturday, while 379 houses were damaged and 769 houses were submerged.
Floods also swept away a bridge in Lai Chau province, while landslides disrupted traffic on some inter-provincial roads.
Initial estimates put losses at $4.8mn.
The committee warned people yesterday not to venture near rivers, as heavy rains were expected to continue in the region for the next several days.
A paramilitary trooper clears debris of a landslide in Lai Chau province of Vietnam yesterday.
