At least six people were confirmed dead and three others remain missing after typhoon Rammasun hit northern mountainous localities on July 19.

At least six people have been killed and three more are missing since Typhoon Rammasun made landfall on north-eastern Quang Ninh Province's Mong Cai City on Saturday morning.

In northern mountainous Lang Son Province, a 32-year-old man from Xuat Le Commune was swept away by floods while crossing a local stream on Saturday afternoon, with his body found six hours later.

Also on Saturday afternoon, three residents of Xuan Hoa Commune in neighbouring Lao Cai Province were also tragically killed after being struck by lightning.

A Ngoc Phai Commune man was also swept away while crossing a stream in northern mountainous Bac Kan Province, while a local man in Binh Trung Commune (Cho Don District) was seriously injured during a landslide.

Three people are still missing, including a 60-year-old woman, after being swept away by local steams in the northern mountainous provinces of Lang Son and Son La during the storm.

Initial statistics from the National Steering Committee on Flood and Storm Prevention and Control showed the storm had blown roofs off 136 houses and destroyed 9 others in Quang Ninh, Lang Son and Bac Giang provinces.

The storm also uprooted 300 trees in Quang Ninh Province.

In Yen Bai Province, torrential rains triggered by the storm damaged dozens of hectares of rice and other crops.

Torrential rains up to 201mm bashed Mu Cang Chai District between Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Landslides occurring near National Highway 32 and 3 brought traffic to a standstill, reported the provincial Steering Committee on Disaster Prevention, Search and Rescue.

Authorised agencies have since resolved the build-up, the committee said.

In Bac Kan Province, hundreds of crops and rice paddies were inundated, while 36 houses sustained flood and landslide damage.

The landslides also caused traffic to accumulate along a stretch of National Highway 3B. Local authorised agencies have advised they are working to bring the situation under control.

In Son La Province, the initial damage from the storm was estimated at about VND2 billion (US$94,300).

Local authorities are working quickly to overcome the damage left by the storm and help residents resume daily activities. 

Clearing mud and soil blocking village roads in Lao Cai

Initial reports show the typhoon had torn off a total of 136 house roofs, including 114 in Quang Ninh, 11 in Lang Son and 6 in Bac Giang.

Nine houses collapsed and about 300 trees were snapped in Quang Ninh.

Although Rammasun dissipated, it brought heavy downpours to north-western localities, with rainfall of between 70-80mm.

Heavy rain is forecast to lash the northern region on July 20, focusing on the mountainous area stretching from Lang Son to Lai Cai and Lai Chau.

Torrential rain triggered water levels in the major river system to rise quickly. Weather experts warned mountainous localities of widespread flooding and landslides in the coming days.

Severe floods ravage northern Vietnam

Although typhoon Rammasun has gone, continued torrential rains caused widespread flooding in the northern border province of Lang Son, bringing all daily activities to a halt.

Heavy downpours triggered the Ky Cung River water levels to rise quickly and spill over the bank, inundating hundreds of houses lying along the river and more than 300ha of rice and other subsidiary crops.

Five communes Loc Thon, Khuat Xa, Tu Doan, Tu Mich and Dong Luc, and Loc Binh town of Binh Loc district were totally cut off by flooding.

Hoang Van Hien, an agriculture official of Binh Loc district, said if rain continues to fall in a couple of days, there will be historic flooding in the locality.

Torrential rains also caused stream water levels in the bustling town of Dong Dang in Cao Loc district to rise quickly, submerging dozens of homes and a large area of subsidiary crops.

Flooding also occurred in parts of Lang Son city. Many streets are deep under water. Rescue workers used motorised boats to move people in flooded areas to higher grounds.

According to a national weather forecast, water levels of the Ky Cung River were 0.75m above the third alert level – the highest in the three-level warning system - at 09.00 am on July 20, and they are likely to exceed the third alert level by 1.5m in the evening.

Soldiers were dispatched to flooded areas to help with rescue work.

In the north-western mountainous province of Son La, heavy floods killed one person and left huge property losses in its aftermath.

The natural disaster swept away several head of cattle in Sam Kha, Na Muong hamlets of Tan Hop commune and submerged a large area of rice crops in Co Chang hamlet of Bon Phang commune.

Quynh Nhai town is besieged by flood waters, which are rising in many communes of Thuan Chau district. More than 30ha of crops in Thum Cay hamlet, Tong Co commune are deep under water. Many local residents had to move to higher ground to escape landslides and floods.

Typhoon Rammasun affects domestic flight schedule

Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar Pacific said they have cancelled or delayed a number of domestic flights scheduled for July 19 due to typhoon Rammasun.

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines announced cancellation or rescheduling of 14 flights from HCM City and Danang to Haiphong and vice versa.

A number of flights will take off in the evening of the same day instead of the morning schedule.

A Vietnam Airlines representative said the company would create conditions for passengers to have their airfares refunded or to change their airfares.

Passengers can log on to Vietnam Airlines website at www.vietnamairlines.com to get detailed information about flights or contact Vietnam Airlines regional bureaux in Hanoi (04.38 320 320), HCM City (08 38 320 320) and Danang (05 11 3 832 320) for further information.

Meanwhile, Jetstar Pacific rescheduled three flights from HCM City to Haiphong, taking off at 14.00, 16.30 and 19.00 on the same day.

It also decided to reschedule several flights from HCM City to Cam Ranh Bay and from HCM City to Phu Quoc island and Vinh city.

Typhoon Rammasun was forecast to hit northern coastal localities, including Haiphong city.

VOV/VNA/VNN