Flash floods leave 8 dead in north-central Vietnam and northern highlands

Nghe An Province and its neighbor Thanh Hoa in north-central Vietnam were hardest hit by the impacts of tropical storm Bebinca which weakened into a tropical depression on Friday morning. Local authorities in Nghe An confirmed five deaths and reported many villages and towns were isolated by the prolonged rain. Hundreds of houses were inundated.

Many districts in Nghe An have suffered heavy rainfall of between 180 to 250 millimeters since Thursday night, leaving many mountainous villages submerged under as much as three meters of water.

Nghe An's Ky Son District near the Laos border was submerged in flooded waters. Torrential rain also flooded many national highways and paralyzed traffic leading to Nghia Dan and Quy Hop districts in the central province.

Local residents in Nghe An row a boat to wade through a flooded area triggered by heavy rains.

Many houses in Con Cuong District of Nghe An were submerged under three to four meters of water, prompting the emergency evacuation of 100 families. Provincial authorities have asked relevant agencies to take immediate measures to evacuate those most vulnerable to flash floods and landslides.

Landslides paralyze traffic on National Highway No.7 through many districts in Nghe An.

Flooding on Nghe An rivers is being escalated by water discharged from Ban Ve hydropower dam.

Flash floods leave 8 dead in north-central Vietnam and northern highlands Four dead, three missing as flash floods ravage north, central Vietnam

The tropical storm also sparked torrential downpours in Thanh Hoa and caused landslides in many districts. The province confirmed one death. Nearly 10,000 people have been evacuated from flooded houses.

Truong Nho Tu, chairman of Quan Hoa District, said around 28 households in flood-prone areas have been moved to safety while several roads were isolated by landslides.   

Typhoon Bebinca turned into a tropical depression in Thanh Hoa as it made landfalls on Friday morning, but it still brought heavy downpours and gusty winds lasting many hours starting Thursday. 

Bebinca is the fourth storm to form this year in the East Sea, also known as the South China Sea.

Weather experts have said that the northern region should expect heavy rainfall that can trigger landslides and flooding in the coming days.

The northern delta and the northern highlands, including the provinces of Lai Chau, Son La, Hoa Binh, Yen Bai and Phu Tho, as well as the central province of Nghe An, are most vulnerable to landslides and flash floods.

The northern highlands province of Son La announced two deaths.

The third storm of the year, Son Tinh, which hit northern and central Vietnam last month, triggered floods and landslides that killed at least 27 people.

Vietnam was struck by a record-breaking number of 16 tropical storms in 2017 that left 389 people dead or missing and injured 668 others, mostly in northern and central regions. Damrey, one of the most destructive storms last year, hit Vietnam in November and killed at least 106 people.

The General Statistics Office estimated damage at around VND60 trillion ($2.64 billion), 1.5 times the previous year’s figure.