According to statistics of the National Committee for Search and Rescue, the fatalities included eight people in Thanh Hoa, six each in Nghe An, Hoa Binh, five in Son La and four in Yen Bai. 

21 others are missing, with nine people in Yen Bai and five in Hoa Binh.

Among the missing in Yen Bai there was a 29-year-old journalist of the Vietnam News Agency correspondent. He was swept away while reporting the flood situation in Nghia Lo township of Yen Bai.

Hoa Binh province had to declare an emergency state on the morning of October 11. Heavy rains caused landslides in Mai Chau and Da Bac districts while many roads are under water.

More than 5,110 households in the central provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ha Tinh have to evacuate from their homes in low-lying and landslide-prone areas. The northern province of Ninh Binh is also moving residents in vulnerable areas in 12 communes of Nho Quan and Gia Vien districts. 

At a meeting of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control on late October 11, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung instructed local authorities to continue evacuating people in high-risk locations, look for missing people and provide support for households of flood victims. All agencies need to ensure safety of reservoirs and quickly repair the railways and roads, he added.

The rains over the past few days were brought by a tropical low pressure system which landed in central coastal provinces from Ha Tinh to Quang Binh on October 10. The rainfall was measured at between 100mm-150mm. In particular, some areas in Hoa Binh reporting rainfalls of 420mm (Mai Chau district), 350mm (Kim Boi district) and 200mm (Hoa Binh city).

Downpour, flood wreak havoc in Hoa Binh province

​Damaging rains and floods hit ​Hoa Binh province over the past three days.

As many as 39 people in the northern mountainous province of Hoa Binh were reported dead, injured and missing as of 7am on October 12 after tragically damaging rains and floods hit the locality over the past three days.

Da Bac district recorded eight deaths, one missing and seven injured, Tan Lac district had six deaths and 12 missing. The flood also killed two in Kim Boi, one in Mai Chau and injured two in Mai Chau.

The natural disaster damaged or swept away more than 1,000 houses. About 300 households were evacuated to safer places.

Floods devastated thousands of hectares of rice and other crops while damaging many roads.

Notably, Da Bac district’s mountainous communes like Tan Minh, Tan Pheo, Giap Dat, Dong Nghe and Suoi Nang have been isolated due to severe damage to provincial road No.433.

The provincial People’ Committee has announced a state of emergency for reservoirs, local routes and landslide prone areas. Forces have been arranged to help local people harvest crops.

VNA