HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Floodwaters swept through central Vietnam this week after record-breaking rains, leaving at least 10 people dead and five missing, officials said, as cities, farmland and transport networks were battered by the onslaught.
Six deaths and four missing people were reported in the coastal city of Danang, where 19 others were injured and homes, crops and thousands of livestock were washed away, according to local authorities.
The city is seen as a future growth engine for Vietnam, heightening concern over the damage.
In Hue, the former imperial capital, one person drowned and a 5-year-old girl was reported missing after falling into floodwaters, state media said. Much of the city remains underwater, with rivers overflowing after rainfall reached 1,085 millimeters (42 inches) in 24 hours by late Monday, the highest amount ever recorded in Vietnam, according to the national weather agency.
At least three people died in Quang Ngai province, which recorded more than 120 landslides along major highways, state media said. Some routes remain blocked, trapping 50 people in 37 vehicles for three days.
A breached river embankment, rising floodwaters and landslides in hilly areas have isolated dozens of neighborhoods in rural parts of the province.
Vietnam’s meteorological agency said a surge of cool air from the north collided with warm, moisture-rich winds from the sea, setting off a chain of storms that have pounded central provinces for days. The winds forced rain-laden clouds up against the mountains, causing even heavier downpours.
Forecasters warn the same pattern will continue through Thursday night, keeping the ground saturated and the risk of further floods and landslides high.
Police and military forces have been deployed across affected areas, and authorities in Quang Ngai are testing drone deliveries of food and supplies to isolated residents.
Central Vietnam frequently faces heavy rains and tropical storms, yet experts say the scale and intensity of this week’s floods highlight rising dangers linked to shifting rainfall patterns in a warming climate. The country is among the most flood-prone in the world, with nearly half its population living in high-risk areas.
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By ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL
Associated Press
