Five killed as heavy rains, flooding ravage central Vietnam

By Xuan Ngoc, Phuoc Tuan   December 1, 2020 | 12:36 am PT
Five killed as heavy rains, flooding ravage central Vietnam
Rescue forces try to find bodies of a man and his two daughters swept away by flash floods in Nha Trang, December 1, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Huu Thong.
At least five died as flooding triggered by prolonged heavy rains over the past days hit central provinces and the Central Highlands.

Nguyen Ngoc Duy, 35, and his wife along with two daughters, aged 8 and 11, walked to his father-in-law's house in Vinh Luong Commune in Nha Trang beach town Monday night amid heavy rains. While wading through a stream, the family was swept away.

His wife clung to a tree branch and was rescued while Duy and his two daughters went missing. On Tuesday morning, the bodies of the trio were found around one kilometer away from the stream.

A woman in Vinh Phuong Commune also died of electric shock Monday as floodwaters swamped her house, local authorities confirmed Tuesday.

Authorities in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong said rescue forces found the body of one of two female tourists swept away by flash floods Sunday as they crossed a suspension bridge over Da Nhim River in Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park.

A combination of a cold spell and monsoon winds triggered heavy rains and flooding in central and south-central regions as well as the Central Highlands, home to the country's largest coffee growing hub, over the past three days, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Localities from Quang Tri to Khanh Hoa and the Central Highlands have been battered by heavy rains with rainfall of up to 190 mm during the period.

On Tuesday afternoon, rescue forces accompanied a group of 36 trekkers stuck on Ta Giang Mountain to Thanh Son Commune. All were in stable condition before returning to HCMC.

Natural disasters, mostly floods, storms and landslides, have killed 372 people in the first 11 months of this year and caused losses worth VND38.4 trillion ($1.65 billion), according to the General Statistics Office.

 
 
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