HÀ NỘI — Floods triggered by heavy rain in the central and Central Highlands regions over the past few days killed three people, injured four others and left one man missing, according to the Standing Office of the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.

The victims include a 59-year-old man in Nghệ An Province's Quế Phong District and his son, 34, who were swept away by flash floods while collecting wood along a river on Saturday.

The other victim was a 69-year-old man in Hòa Bình Province who died in a landslide triggered by prolonged, heavy rain on Sunday. The landslide injured his wife, 66, his daughter-in-law, 35 and his granddaughter, 15.

Rains and floods also caused a man, 21, from the Hướng Hóa District of Quảng Trị Province, to disappear after he was swept away on Saturday evening. 

Local authorities of Quảng Ngãi Province reported that heavy rains and strong winds also injured a person in Bình Sơn District on Sunday.  

Rain and floods also damaged hundreds of houses while landslides blocked roads and destroyed bridges in many localities, disrupting traffic and isolating a number of villages.

Seven towns and districts in the central province of Quảng Bình were put on high alert of landslides, and 1,903 local residents were evacuated.

Boats in the nearby ports were also secured ahead of the bad weather.

Torrential rains caused power outages and flooding in Thừa Thiên-Huế Province. In Huế City, a number of roads near the Hương River were flooded. Erosion occurred on Sunday morning and a medium-voltage pole in Lâm Đớt Commune, A Lưới mountainous district collapsed, causing power outages in the area.

Many inter-commune roads in Phong Điền District were also flooded by up to 300mm of rainfall.

Landslides blocked many roads in two mountainous districts of Kỳ Sơn and Quế Phong in Nghệ An Province, and sections of National Highways 48 and 7 crossing the province.

Local authorities in these localities evacuated people in areas deemed high risk of landslides and flash floods.

Many inter-commune roads in Đắk Glei District, the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum, were blocked.

At least four big landslides were detected in Đắk Glei Town and Đắk Man Commune, six others were recorded on provincial road 673.

Some villages in Ngọc Linh and Mương Hoong communes were isolated by floods, some bridges also were collapsed.

The district recorded 27 houses damaged and dozens of hectares of agricultural land was damaged.

The steering office has asked the affected cities and provinces to implement instructions of the Prime Minister and the office, quickly inform local authorities and people about developments of natural disasters, and monitor residential areas vulnerable to flooding and landslides.

Localities need to take measures to protect dykes, reservoirs and production activities, and maintain search and rescue operations, the office said. — VNS