Thousands of people stranded after floods destroy bridge in central Vietnam

By Quoc Thinh   November 26, 2017 | 12:09 am PT
Thousands of people stranded after floods destroy bridge in central Vietnam
The damaged suspension bridge in Krong Bong District of Dak Lak Province in central Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Quoc Thinh
Villagers now have to take a 10-kilometer alternative route, which they say is very challenging.

As many as 7,700 people in Vietnam’s Central Highlands province of Dak Lak have been isolated after floods swept away a suspension bridge that connects them with the outside world.

Huynh Bai, chairman of Krong Bong District, said Typhoon Damrey, which ravaged southern and central Vietnam early this month, had damaged the bridge in Cu Pui Commune, and recent floods triggered by heavy downpours had worsened the situation.

The bridge connects six villages with the center of the commune.

To get in and out of the villages now, locals are having to take another 10-kilometer route (6.4 miles) that they say is “very challenging”.

Local authorities said they have asked for VND3.6 billion ($158,400) from the provincial government to fix the bridge, which was built in 2005 at a cost of VND5.5 billion.

The bridge is 80 meters long and 2.8 meters wide.

Typhoon Damrey, one of the worst storms to hit Vietnam in years, made landfall on November 4 with devastating consequences for the central provinces of Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen and Quang Nam, where people rely heavily on rice and fish farming.

It killed 106 people and damaged thousands of houses.

 
 
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