At least 17 people have been killed, seven others injured and 11 remained missing in flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains between June 23 and 25 in some northern mountainous provinces, according to the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.

A report from the committee said that by 10:00 on June 26, floods and landslides had left 17 dead, 11 missing and seven injured in Ha Giang and Lai Chau provinces.

At least eight people were killed, seven were injured and 10 have gone missing in Lai Chau Province as of June 25, due to floods.

Five people were buried on June 25 in Lai Chau alone. Lo Van Xuong, deputy head of Noong Heo Commune, said the victims were locals in Nam Ha Village. Five people were working in the field and took shelter in a shack when it started to rain. 

"They were buried under a landslide. The rescuers reached the site but the heavy rains and floods hindered their work," Xuong said.

The rescuers found three bodies in the floods on June 25. Most of the victims of the floods were locals in Sin Ho District.

The flood also swept away a bridge in Lao Village. Le Trong Quang, vice chairman of Lai Chau Province, said the rescuers were finding the missing people and they had ordered an evacuation from areas which are prone to floods and landslides. Rains and flash-floods are forecasted to continue to occur in the next two to three days.

The provincial leaders visited the victims' families and directed the search and rescue missions. Blocked sections of road cleared and traffic will be monitored. Many national highways have been damaged and the traffic on most major routes in Lai Chau has been paralysed. 

Local authorities were asked to inspect and support farmers whose crops were damaged. Over 200 hectares of rice were submerged under water in Than Uyen, Tan Uyen, Sin Ho and Tam Duong districts. While over 100 hectares of cornfields and other agricultural products were destroyed.

Floods and landslides have caused severe damage in Lai Chau and other northern provinces including Ha Giang, Lao Cai, and Thai Nguyen.

Flood damages salmon ponds in Lai Chau

Floods have damaged many salmon ponds, causing huge losses for their owners in Lai Chau. 

The big flood which happened on the evening of June 24 swept many houses and crops in Chu Va Village, Tam Duong District. Salmon ponds were also seriously affected as the ponds overflowed their banks letting the salmon go free. 

As a result, salmon have been found drifting into surrounding areas and many people have been catching the fish.

Some people even caught nearly 100 kilos of salmon which was then sold at the very cheap prices of VND40,000-60,000 per kilo.

Salmon which weigh more than 10 kilos each were sold at less than VND1 million (USD45.45) compared to the usual market price of roughly VND300,000 per kilo. 

According to local residents, some 30 salmon ponds in the locality were damaged in flood, causing billions of VND in losses.

According to the latest report from the National Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control, as of Monday evening, floods and landslides in the northern mountainous provinces had killed 14 people and left 11 others missing. Most of the victims are in Ha Giang and Lai Chau provinces.

The floods also destroyed 67 houses and damaged nearly 400 others in the localities.

Some photos of the floods in Lai Chau Province on June 24:

Dtinews/Laodong/Danviet