Two die, three missing in central Vietnam floods

Torrential rains have been lashing central Vietnam since Sunday night due to the impact of a mass of cold air, with Thua Thien Hue among the most affected places.

Several places in its capital Hue City received more than 800 mm rainfall in 24 hours, and the entire city has been flooded by Wednesday night.

People travel on a boat in Hue in the afternoon of Nov. 11, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Vo Thanh

Among the dead and missing victims are a woman in Hue and her daughter.

Huynh Thi Bi, 40, and her daughter Nguyen Thi Hang, 18, were riding a boat with six other people on a flooded street on Wednesday morning when it capsized. Bi and her daughter were swept away by floodwaters while six other people managed to hold on to nearby trees. Bi's body was found several hours later but her daughter is still missing.

In the neighboring Quang Tri Province, Ho Xa Lang, 38, and his wife Ho Thi Vien, 37, have not returned from their field from Monday afternoon. The authorities suspected that they have been swept away by floodwaters and have deployed a search and rescue team.

Also on Monday, Le Duc Hung, 36, in the province went missing in a local lake and his body was found around 150 m away from the lake on Wednesday afternoon.

Heavy rains are forecast to continue in Thua Thien Hue Province on Thursday, causing flooding to rise, while the water has receded in Quang Tri.