Two children electrocuted within minutes in flooded Vietnam park

The first victim, a 10-year-old boy, had entered Nguyen Phuong Danh Park along the Can Tho River, where floodwater from high tides had risen to nearly half a meter. As he approached a streetlight pole near the riverbank, an electric current from a leak knocked him unconscious. Locals rushed him to the Cai Rang–Phong Dien Regional Medical Center, but doctors could not save him.

About 15 minutes later, despite warnings from residents, two 15-year-old boys on a motorbike entered the same flooded park and were also electrocuted. Both were taken to hospital, but one later died.

Authorities said the park, built more than 10 years ago and covering about 3,000 square meters, had power cut immediately after the second accident. Initial findings suggest the leak came from a lighting pole about 30 centimeters above the ground.

Police are investigating the cause.

Tidal flooding in Can Tho over the past four days has reached 2.14–2.33 meters, 14–33 centimeters above warning level three and six centimeters higher than the city's historic 2022 flood peak. Many streets, parks and residential areas have been submerged, with some more than a meter deep.