Floods claim 35 souls in central Vietnam

As of October 17, storms have claimed 35 lives in Central Vietnam, according to data from The National Committee for Search and Rescue.

Four remain missing.

The coastal province of Quang Binh suffered the highest losses with 22 confirmed dead followed by Ha Tinh Province, which reported nine.

As the rainfall subsides and floodwaters slowly recede, residents find themselves struggling with the wreckage left behind and bracing for further storms.

Officials now say floodwaters swallowed 120,000 homes -- 22,000 more than the day before. Heavy rain swept away roughly 1,600 hectares of rice paddy and over 3,000 hectares of fish farms.

The Central Committee of the Vietnam Red Cross Society mobilized an emergency relief package of VND1.97 billion ($88,000) in cash and goods for the four affected provinces.

Deputy Minister Trinh Dinh Dung also agreed to distribute 1,500 tons of emergency rice to the residents of flood-prone areas in Quang Binh as the country braces for yet another typhoon.

Typhoon Sarika, one of the strongest storms in recent years, is expected to hit the Gulf of Tonkin on October 19 before touching down in northern Vietnam the following day. The storm is currently ripping its way through the Phillippines.

Over the first nine months of this year, natural disasters claimed 125 lives and injured 266 others. The harsh weather claimed over 3,500 houses and wreaked havoc on crops and livestock.

Related news:

> 4 Vietnamese fishermen rescued after swept away by flood

> Typhoon Sarika barrels toward Vietnam as another storm brews

> Stranded flood victims in Ha Tinh on verge of running out food