Getting to safety: Rescuers transporting villagers through floodwaters in central Ha Tinh province. — AFP
FLOODS, landslides and other natural disasters triggered by severe downpours have left 111 people dead and 22 others missing in Vietnam’s central and central highlands regions since early October, according to the country’s Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.
Yesterday’s death toll update, up from 105 reported on Tuesday, were mainly in the provinces of Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Nam, according to the committee’s latest report.
Among the dead, 60 were killed in landslides and floods.
Search and rescue efforts were still underway for the missing people.
As of Tuesday evening, nearly 59,300 households with some 206,800 people in the localities of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Quang Tri had been evacuated.
Around 124,600 houses in Ha Tinh and Quang Binh were inundated, the committee said, adding that several traffic routes in these areas remained disrupted due to flooding.
Meanwhile, more than 691,100 cattle and poultry animals had been killed or swept away by floodwaters.
Despite decreasing rainfall from yesterday, high risks of flash floods, landslides and inundation may continue to threaten several areas in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Quang Nam, according to the country’s National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
At a meeting with the steering committee yesterday, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung requested authorities at all levels to timely provide emergency relief for all affected families, especially those in Ha Tinh and Quang Binh.
He also asked localities to prepare for the possible landing of Storm Saudel in the next few days. — Xinhua
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