THE death toll in widespread flooding and landslides caused by heavy rains in South-East Asia has mounted, with at least one more person reported killed in Vietnam and five others in Thailand, with tens of thousands displaced.
As of yesterday, the total number of confirmed dead in Vietnam was at least 91, with 11 others missing as the heavy rain that began a week ago caused severe flooding and triggered landslides from Quang Tri to Lam Dong provinces, a stretch of 800km along the country’s central region.
In Dak Lak, the worst hit province, at least 63 people were killed, mostly due to drowning. Other fatalities were from Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Gia Lai, Danang, Hue and Quang Tri provinces.
With roads washed out in many areas, helicopters have been deployed to drop food and aid supplies, and to assist in evacuating people.
After a break in the rain on the weekend, Pham Thu Huyen was one of many hundreds of residents and visitors who helped clean up debris washed ashore in Nha Trang, a popular tourist destination in Khanh Hoa province.
“We’ve never experienced that much rain and such bad flooding,” the 45-year-old said.
Waters have also taken their toll on crops, submerging coffee farms in Dak Lak, Vietnam’s major coffee growing region.
Overall, damage so far is estimated to be around US$500mil (RM2bil) in this round of floods.
Some of the waters have now receded, but Vietnam’s weather agency warned that with rains continuing in some places the risks remain, and said a new tropical depression is forming that could bring worse weather again later in the week.
Vietnam is among the world’s most flood-prone countries, with nearly half its population living in high-risk areas.
Scientists warn that a warming climate is intensifying storms and rainfall across South-East Asia, making floods and landslides more destructive and frequent.
The current destruction has hit a region already battered earlier this month by floods from record rainfall and the powerful typhoon Kalmaegi.
The country was also hit by typhoons in September and October, and the International Organization for Migration announced yesterday that South Korea would contribute US$1mil (RM4.1mil) to help Vietnam assist displaced people, communities and migrants affected by those.
The United Nations agency said that according to preliminary data, Vietnam estimates economic damage of some US$1.2bil from that period, with more than a half million homes damaged and hundreds of thousands of people evacuated and dozens killed.
In Thailand, torrential rain in the south of the country caused severe flash flooding over the weekend, affecting nearly two million people. At least five were killed and four injured across six southern provinces, according to regional health officials.
Ten southern provinces were with heavy rainfall over the last week, and officials warned yesterday that water levels may rise further with the rain expected to continue through today.
The city of Hat Yai, a major economic hub in Songkhla province, was hit with 335mm of rain last Friday, the highest 24-hour figure in 300 years, officials said.
From Wednesday through Friday, the city saw 630mm of rain, complicating evacuation efforts as hundreds of residents and tourists were trapped inside homes and hotels by rising water that forced emergency crews to use lifeboats to transport people along flooded streets.
Malaysia is also grappling with flooding in several states that is expected to worsen as heavy, persistent rainfall continues. — AP
