8 dead, 2 missing as floods continue to rage in central Vietnam

By VnExpress   November 3, 2016 | 01:32 am PT
8 dead, 2 missing as floods continue to rage in central Vietnam
A road between Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces disappears one meter under water. Photo by VnExpress
Heavy rains are moving south and threatening to flood Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An.

At least eight people have died and two more are reported missing in central Vietnam after flooding returned to the region over the past few days, according to official figures.

Reports from the National Search and Rescue Committee and the Ministry of National Defense show that flooding has killed six people in Quang Binh Province and two others in its southern neighbor Quang Tri.

Two people from Quang Binh are reported missing and seven others have been injured.

Torrential rains triggered by a cold spell on Sunday had flooded around 20,000 houses in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Quang Tri by up to three meters as of Tuesday afternoon. Ha Tinh neighbors Quang Binh to the north.

The water has receded in some parts, but nearly 7,000 houses in the provinces were still under water on Wednesday.

Soldiers have been deployed to evacuate low-lying areas that are home to 485 families in the provinces.

The cold spell is forecast to continue causing heavy rains further south in the provinces of Thua Thien Hue, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai, as well as the coastal city of Da Nang. Rainfall of up to 400mm is expected to cause flooding in these areas on Wednesday and Thursday.

8-dead-2-missing-as-floods-continue-to-rage-in-central-vietnam

A hydropower dam in Quang Nam Province discharges water on Wednesday. Photo by VnExpress/Trong Y

Six hydropower dams in Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam started discharging water to avoid dam breaches on Tuesday night. In Vietnam, dam operators are not held responsible for any damage they cause providing they inform authorities before they release water.

Many streets in Quang Nam's popular tourist town Hoi An were submerged on Wednesday after three dams discharged a combined 4,800 cubic meters per second.

The floods are the second to hit central Vietnam in two weeks.

Two weeks ago, 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.

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