Widespread floods triggered by a tropical depression over the past few days have killed 54 people as of 22:00 pm on October 12, according to the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control. 

Heavy rains damage a house in Da Bac district, northern Hoa Binh province. 

Another 39 people were still missing while 31 were injured.

The depression hit central Vietnam on October 10, bringing lengthy heavy rains to the region and northern mountainous provinces.

In the hardest-hit northern province of Hoa Binh, 17 people died and 15 others were missing. The number included 19 people in four families buried in a devastating landslide in Khanh village, Phu Cuong commune, Tan Lac district in early morning of October 12.

Some 300 rescuers have been deployed to the site, according to the committee. By the afternoon, nine bodies have been recovered while ten others are unaccounted for.

The death toll climbed to 14 people in Thanh Hoa, 9 in Nghe An, 6 in Son La and Yen Bai provinces each, and two in Hanoi. 

The committee estimated that 189 houses were collapsed and over 30,800 others were submerged in floods. The heavy rains have also destroyed over 22,900 hectares of rice and more than 29,000 hectares of maize and vegetables, drowned about 16,300 hectares of fruit trees and killed or washed away approximately 180,500 cattle and poultry.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has sent urgent notices to state agencies and governments of cities and provinces affected by the tropical depression, directing responses to flooding.

He urged state agencies and local administrations to keep a close watch on the weather conditions and stay vigilant for any emergency, particularly in the face of typhoon Khanun which freshly emerged in the East Sea.

Floods cause heavy damage in central Thanh Hoa province

Local houses have been inundated.

At least 14 people lost their lives, five were injured and five others went missing after floods triggered by torrential downpours swept through the central province of Thanh Hoa in the past days.

Communes in Thach Thanh, Yen Dinh and Thieu Hoa districts have been submerged, resulting in difficulties for the local residents.

As many as 140 houses were damaged or affected by landslides and more than 17,600 other homes were flooded.

Over 19,000 hectares of rice and other crops were inundated, while some 156,000 cattle and poultry were swept away.

In addition, the flood also broke hundreds metres of dykes in the province. Many national routes like 1A, No.45 and No.217 have been 50-70 cm under water, hindering traffic.

Localities have evacuated 17,600 households in landslide-prone areas to safer places, including 3,389 in Thach Thanh district, 3,415 in Tho Xuan district and 1,727 in Thuong Xuan district.

The provincial Department of Industry and Trade has prepared 1,800 boxes of instant noodle, over 1.8 tonnes of dry provisions and 5,500 litres of water to evacuated families in Thuong Xuan district. The Red Cross Society also sent emergency aid, including 6,100 boxes of noodle and 3,000 bottles of water, to Nong Cong, Tho Xuan, Thach Thanh, Yen Dinh and Vinh Loc districts.

More than 1,500 soldiers and 8,500 militias have been deployed to assist flood-hit localities, tackle dyke incidents and involve in search and rescue activities. 

According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, Buoi River rose to 13.34 metres, 1.34 metres above the third warning level, at Kim Tan as of 7 a.m on October 13. Meanwhile, Ma River rose to 4.1 metres, 0.1 metre above the first waning level.

The centre forecast that the water level on the rivers will decrease in the next 12 hours, reducing flooding Thanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces.

Deputy PM inspects flood, landslide-hit areas in Yen Bai

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh on October 13 inspected flood and landslide-hit areas and visited affected people in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai.

As of 9am of the day, flood and landslides claimed the lives of six people, leaving 16 others missing and seven injured, according to Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Pham Thi Thanh Tra.

The disasters also ruined 1,251 houses, 73 of which collapsed or were swept away completely, badly affected road traffic, and broke six kilometres of embankments.

The province is focusing its forces on search and rescue missions, visiting affected households and evacuating them to safer areas. However, due to great losses, post-disaster rebuilding efforts need more time and resources.

Tra proposed the Government assign related ministries and agencies to assess losses and provide both financial and technical assistance for the locality to build resettlement areas and construct and repair transport and irrigational facilities.

Sharing difficulties with Yen Bai province, Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh urged the locality to strictly follow the Prime Minister’s dispatch on surmounting flood consequences to help locals soon stabilise their lives and minimise losses.

The top priority should be given to ensuring safety for locals, he said, asking for measures to evacuate people from landslide-prone areas and search for those still unaccounted for.

Local health clinics were requested to attend to injured people and guide locals to ensure post-flood sanitation.

The Government will assist Yen Bai province in dealing with flood and landslide consequences, Binh affirmed.

Prime Minister directs responses to severe flooding

Floods swept away many houses and crops in Van Chan district, northern Yen Bai province. 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has sent urgent notices to state agencies and administrations of cities and provinces affected by the tropical depression, directing responses to flooding in northern and central Vietnam.

In the face of serious flooding brought by heavy rains over the past few days and typhoon Khanun which freshly emerged in the East Sea, PM Phuc directed the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and local governments, particularly in mountainous provinces, to keep a close watch on the weather conditions and stay vigilant for any emergency.

He asked authorities and military forces of flood-hit provinces of Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh, Yen Bai and Thanh Hoa to continue search for missing people and move those living in mudslide-prone and other at-risk areas to safety.

He urged the provinces to provide relief to affected families, especially those who lost family members or had injured people. Foods and other supplies alongside temporary accommodation must be provided to those in need.

The PM also requested the provinces and ministries to take measures to protect dykes and dams; ensure traffic safety at flooded or landslide areas; fix public buildings, roads, irrigation systems damaged in the disasters; and help local residents repair houses and clean the environment.

The Ministry of Health was assigned to provide free treatment to injured people and instruct people on after-flood cleanup. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is responsible for promptly solving any dyke or dam problems and discharging floodwater to protect crops.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade must direct the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) to guarantee safety of hydropower reservoirs and promptly resolve power-related problems for production and daily activities to be quickly resumed, the notice said.

He cancelled a scheduled meeting with voters in Hai Phong City on October 12, travelling instead to the northern province of Ninh Binh to check on local dykes. 

Northern mountainous provinces and part of the central region have been submerged by widespread floods resulting from torrential rains on October 10 and 11. 

The death toll climbed to 54 as of 22:00 pm on October 12, according to the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control. 

The fatalities included 14 people in Thanh Hoa, 17 in Hoa Binh, 9 in Nghe An, 6 in Son La and Yen Bai provinces each. Thirty-nine others are still missing while 31 are injured.

VNA