Soldiers of Air Defence–Air Force Command Regiment 930 prepare relief packages to deliver to flood-hit areas. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Flooding and landslides in Việt Nam’s central and southern regions have left at least 16 people dead and five missing, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

Khánh Hòa Province reported the most deaths with 11 people.

Other deaths included two in Huế City, one in Đà Nẵng City, one in Đắk Lắk Province and one in Gia Lai Province.

Five remain missing in Quảng Trị Province, Đà Nẵng City and Khánh Hòa Province.

As of Thursday morning, flooding had damaged 10,055 hectares of rice and crops, with Khánh Hòa Province suffering the most severe losses at 7,951 hectares.

A total of 6,511 livestock and poultry have been killed or swept away in the regions.

Meanwhile, 91 houses have been damaged and 43,282 homes have been inundated.

Forty-seven locations along national highways have been affected by landslides or flooding, causing traffic disruptions.

In Lâm Đồng Province, landslides have caused blockages on the Prenn Pass and Mimosa Pass.

The provincial People's Committee on Thursday declared a natural disaster emergency after the major landslides.

Heavy rains from Saturday to Wednesday caused the slopes and roadbed to continue collapsing late on Thursday. At Km226+600 to Km226+800, about 70 metres of road slid away, leaving a drop roughly 40 metres deep and completely cutting off the road surface and embankment. At the second location, a 36-metre-long section of the slope also slipped, and the road surface subsided by around 30 centimetres.

Provincial authorities ordered immediate emergency actions to protect residents and restore traffic. These include installing warning signs, blocking all unauthorised entry to danger zones, relocating households near the landslide area, and maintaining round-the-clock monitoring of cracks, movements and further erosion.

Traffic is being controlled and redirected to ensure safe travel, while technical teams assess causes and propose urgent repair solutions.

Quảng Trị Province has closed four schools, while Gia Lai Province has suspended classes from Tuesday until further notice.

Khánh Hòa has suspended classes for 28 high schools with 26,018 students, while six schools with 5,553 students have switched to online learning.

Around 350 preschools, primary and lower secondary schools with more than 200,000 students have been closed.

An Air Defence–Air Force Command Regiment 930 helicopter preparing for a search and rescue mission on Thursday morning. — VNA/VNS Photo

The Ministry of National Defence on Thursday deployed helicopters to severely flooded areas in Khánh Hòa and Đắk Lắk provinces on search, rescue and relief operations.

Two Mi-171 helicopters coded SAR-02 and 8431 from Helicopter Regiment 917 under Division 370 of the Air Defence–Air Force Service were sent to the inundated areas to conduct the missions.

Public security forces in Đắk Lắk and Gia Lai provinces urgently transported essential goods and provided food to residents isolated by severe flooding, provincial authorities reported on Thursday.

Units of the department coordinated the transport of 10 tonnes of essential goods on three trucks. Two vehicles left on Thursday morning for the eastern localities of Đắk Lắk, while another departed late on Wednesday for heavily flooded and isolated areas in Yang Mao and Cu Pui communes (former Krông Bông District).

Along with delivering emergency goods, Đắk Lắk Police have deployed significant forces and equipment, including 122 vehicles and 40 boats and canoes to assist localities in responding to floods, maintaining security and supporting residents in inundated areas. Commune- and ward-level police have also been helping people at critical times.

In neighbouring Gia Lai Province, police on Thursday continued rescue operations while coordinating with donors and volunteers to provide meals and drinking water to residents stranded in flooded areas. In areas where waters remain high, officers and soldiers used canoes, motorboats and inflatable boats to reach isolated families.

Gia Lai Police have partnered with benefactors to prepare more than 16,000 meal portions for delivery to deeply flooded areas. Officers worked from late afternoon into the night to bring thousands of meals to isolated households. — VNS