Two buried in northern Vietnam landslide

Dinh Thi Huong, 37, and Dinh Hoang Yen, 6, in Ha Hoa District were killed by a landslide following heavy rains that lasted from Saturday night to Sunday morning, said Nguyen Viet Dung, chairman of the Ha Hoa People's Committee.

Seven others were injured and 14 houses, several streets and crops were damaged, he added.

"The rain was the heaviest in the last 10 years. Huong's and Yen's houses stood right next to a hill, and the drenched soil slid onto the walls and crushed the victims," Dung said.

Since Saturday night, northern Vietnam has experienced heavy rains and winds caused by cold air moving downwards from the north. Mountainous areas should expect rainfall of up to 120 mm within 24 hours, meteorologists said.

Natural disasters, mostly floods and landslides, killed 133 people in Vietnam last year and caused losses worth around VND7 trillion ($303 million), according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.