Floods and landslides in northern mountainous and central provinces have killed 15 people and left four missing, while causing heavy losses to property. —VNA/VNS Photo Công Tuyên

HÀ NỘI — Floods and landslides in northern mountainous and central provinces have killed 15 people and left four missing, while causing heavy losses to property, according to the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.

Torrential rains persisting from late August that led to serious floods and landslides have ravaged the northern mountainous provinces of Sơn La, Lào Cai, Cao Bằng, Yên Bái and Lai Châu and the central provinces of Thanh Hóa and Nghệ An.

The committee’s statistics showed that as of September 2 one death had been reported in each of the provinces of Sơn La, Yên Bái, Lạng Sơn and Hòa Bình, while the figures were two in Lai Châu and nine in Thanh Hóa. Three locals in Thanh Hóa and another in Lai Châu were still missing.

Around 364 houses were destroyed, while 754 other families were forced to flee. Floods drowned 6,523 hectares of rice and crops, with the largest area of 4,586ha in Thanh Hóa Province. Over 512 cattle and 56,367 poultry were also killed. Floods swept away 963 hectares of aquatic farms, while damaging 620m of dykes and 6,174m of canals. The localities reported nearly 90,000 cubic metres of landslides, and are currently taking action to overcome the consequences of the disasters and clear the roads. National highways crossing Sơn La, Hòa Bình, Yên Bái, Điện Biên and Thanh Hóa remain open, but many provincial and district roads are still blocked. In Lai Châu, floods and landslides blocked many sections of national highways 4D, 4H and 12, along with provincial roads 127, 128 and 129, causing traffic congestion. Local authorities warned locals not to go out and keep away from areas at high risk of landslides.

Warning

The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting has warned of more flash flood and landslides in northern mountainous provinces including Lai Châu, Điện Biên, Sơn La, Hòa Bình and Lào Cai.

Northern provinces will continue to experience scattered rain and strong winds in the coming days.

The Mekong Delta provinces of Long An, An Giang, Kiên Giang and Đồng Tháp are likely to suffer from floods in the rainy season.

Support

The Vietnam Red Cross Society’s Central Committee has decided to offer urgent support to the flood-hit provinces of Thanh Hóa, Nghệ An and Sơn La with total funding of VNĐ420 million (US$18,000). Along with sending teams to Thanh Hóa, the organisation has also directed its chapters to co-ordinate with local administrations to help affected locals. — VNS