A landslide-hit section of the Khánh Sơn Pass, Khánh Hoà Province. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Torrential rain and landslides from Sunday night have battered central Việt Nam, leaving 14 people dead or missing, according to the Tuesday morning update from Department of Dyke Management and Disaster Prevention under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

Khánh Hòa Province has reported the heaviest losses, with nine people dead or missing, including seven deaths and two people unaccounted for.

Six deaths, along with 19 others injured cases, are from a single serious incident on the Khánh Lê Pass when a mountain slide hit a sleeper coach with 32 on board en route from Đà Lạt to Quảng Ngãi late Sunday night. The driver along with five other passengers died on the scene, most were residents of Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng.

In Đà Nẵng City, three people are missing, while one person is missing in Quảng Trị Province and another in Thừa Thiên Huế Province.

Three houses have been damaged. Flooding has also devastated agriculture, with some 7,000 hectares of rice and 430 hectares of perennial crops affected. Livestock losses include 357 cattle and nearly 4,900 poultry killed or washed away. Five motorboats and canoes sank in Quảng Trị and Khánh Hòa, while one bridge in Quảng Ngãi and a reservoir in Khánh Hòa were damaged.

1,500 households in the central province of Quảng Trị are underwater as river water level rises following heavy rains. — VNA/VNS Photo

Flooding has also returned in several low-lying areas, with nearly 14,924 homes inundated across central provinces. Local authorities have evacuated around 5,900 people to safer locations.

Hundreds of sections of national highways, provincial roads and inter-commune routes have been submerged or hit by landslides, bringing traffic to a standstill across the region.

In Quảng Trị, 86 locations have been flooded, blocking access on several key routes.

Huế has reported 28 flooded locations, including three sections of National Highway 49B under 20 to 50 centimetres of water. Parts of the Hồ Chí Minh Highway through A Lưới are submerged by up to half a metre.

In Đà Nẵng, landslides have blocked National Highway 40B through Nam Trà My, while rural roads in Nam Giang and Bến Giằng are also cut off.

Khánh Hòa has seen two sections of National Highway 1A flooded by up to 50 centimetres near the Du Long industrial zone and Nam Cam Ranh. Rural roads across various communes are also under water.

In Quảng Ngãi, landslides have disrupted traffic at three points on rural roads.

In Lâm Đồng, a section of National Highway 20 at the Prenn Pass has collapsed 100m along the lower talus slope. Authorities have closed the pass to ensure safety. — VNS

Widespread flooding in Khánh Hoà Province. — VNA/VNS Photo