A road in Trà Tân Commune, Bắc Trà My District in central Quảng Nam Province has been flooded due to torrential rain over the past several days. — VNA/VNS Photo Đoàn Hữu Trung

HÀ NỘI — The central region of Việt Nam has experienced torrential rainfall for the past several days that has left three people missing and triggered the risks of landslides in mountainous areas, flooding in low-lying areas and the isolation of numerous roads.

On Tuesday afternoon, Hồ Văn Hanh, deputy chairman of the People's Committee of Hướng Sơn Commune, Hướng Hoá District in central Quảng Trị Province, said approximately 40 people, including military forces, police, and local flood and storm prevention teams, have been mobilised to search for a missing couple believed to have been swept away by the floodwaters.

Earlier, on Monday evening, Hồ Xa Lăng, 38, and his wife Hồ Thị Viên, 37, from Hướng Sơn Commune, went to search for goats, but the Nguồn Rào stream had risen, preventing them from returning home. 

Around 6pm on Monday, Lê Đức Hùng, 36, disappeared when fishing at the La Ngà irrigation lake in Vĩnh Thủy Commune in Vĩnh Linh District. His personal belongings were discovered in the area.

Torrential rains have also led to rapid rises in water levels in major rivers, submerging 1,260 houses in Cam Lộ District and Đông Hà City, and forcing 450 households to evacuate to safe places.

Rainfall in the past 24 hours was between 110mm and 230mm, but some areas experienced even higher amounts such as Hướng Sơn at 288mm, Cam Chính at 307mm, Hướng Hiệp at 386mm, and Hướng Linh at 473mm.

Also on Tuesday, rising water levels on the Rin River caused landslides in many areas. The Rin River bridge was submerged, disrupting traffic.

Sơn Hà District was submerged nearly one metre deep while the mountainous district of Sơn Hà announced a suspension of classes for 20,000 students.  

In Quảng Ngãi Province, a local house in Ba Tô Commune partly collapsed due to landslides. Fortunately, there were no casualties.

Faced with the risk of landslides, the Ba Tô Commune’s authorities have relocated residents to a safe place.

Particular attention should be given to residential areas, office headquarters, and military bases in regions prone to landslides, especially in the mountainous districts of Sơn Tây, Ba Tơ, Trà Bồng, Minh Long, Sơn Hà, they said.

Low-lying residential areas in the delta districts were frequently prone to deep flooding, including Bình Sơn, Nghĩa Hành, Tư Nghĩa, and Đức Phổ Town, they added.

In Quảng Nam Province, hundreds of residents from Đại Cường Commune, Đại Lộc District gathered along the banks of the Vu Gia River to set up bamboo stakes and place sandbags to prevent landslides caused by heavy rain.

The recent heavy rainfall also caused the water level of the Vu Gia River to rise significantly, leading to severe landslides in Đại Cường Commune, which is situated along the only road connecting more than 200 households in the residential area.

The commune leader said that this is only a temporary solution and in the long term, the area required substantial resources to build rock embankments and robust concrete dikes to prevent landslides. — VNS