3 killed as heavy rain floods thousands of houses in central Vietnam

• Vietnam launches $5 million relief fund for storm, flood victims
• Vietnamese race against the clock to save what they can from flood

At least three people have been killed as heavy downpours flooded thousands of houses in Binh Dinh and Quang Ngai Provinces in central Vietnam.

A report from Binh Dinh’s authorities on Thursday said flooding has killed three people, aged 14, 32 and 48, in the province.

Water has isolated many areas in Binh Dinh, drowning 7,000 houses and 8,600 hectares (21,251 acres) of paddy fields. Dozens of schools let students stay at home on Thursday.

In the neighboring Quang Ngai Province, authorities are still looking for a 33-year-old who was swept away in flash floods on Wednesday.

Hundreds of houses along rivers are also submerged.

A cold spell has triggered rainfall of up to 300 milimeters in the provinces in recent days. Rain is forecast to drench the region through Saturday.

The flood is the third to hit central Vietnam since mid-October, when a tropical depression triggered non-stop rains that killed 31 people and flooded 92,000 houses in Quang Binh and 5,000 houses in Ha Tinh. Flooding returned to the area in late October, killing at least eight people.

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>Vietnam launches $5 million relief fund for storm, flood victims

>Vietnamese race against the clock to save what they can from flood