During Friday night–early Saturday morning, a central Government delegation led by Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Hòa Bình visited Đông Hòa ward in Đắk Lắk Province to offer support, encouragement and guidance on post-disaster recovery efforts. Đông Hòa is among the areas hardest hit by the recent floods. — VNA/VNS Photo Tuấn Anh

HÀ NỘI — Historic floods across central and the Central Highlands region of Việt Nam have left 68 people dead or missing, with preliminary economic losses estimated at more than VNĐ8.98 trillion (over US$340 million).

As of 6am Saturday, the disaster had claimed 55 lives and left 13 people unaccounted for, rising by 13 compared to the day before, according to the latest report by the Directorate of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

Đắk Lắk suffered the heaviest loss – with 27 fatalities, followed by Khánh Hoà Province with 14, and Lâm Đồng and Gia Lai provinces with five each. The death toll also includes two each in Thừa Thiên Huế and Đà Nẵng cities. Among the missing are eight people in Đắk Lắk, two in Khánh Hòa, two in Đà Nẵng and one in Quảng Trị Province.

Images from Đắk Lắk have stirred public grief, including scenes of waterway police using a canoe to help transport a child’s coffin so the family could conduct a timely burial amid the floods. — Photo nld.com.vn

The economic devastation by the historic deluge is extensive and continues to rise, as total losses rises by threefold, from the estimated $114 million on Friday to upwards of $340 million today.

Some 946 houses have been reported damaged, and more than 28,460 homes remain inundated, mainly in Đắk Lắk (11,586) and Khánh Hòa (10,374), and Gia Lai (6,500).

Agricultural losses are severe, with 79,908 hectares of rice and crops affected and another 100,014 hectares of perennial and annual plants damaged. An estimated 3.24 million livestock and poultry have died or been swept away, while 1,157 hectares of aquaculture areas have been affected.

Transport infrastructure also took a serious blow. Sixteen points along national highways and 180 locations on provincial and inter-communal roads remain flooded or blocked by landslides. Rail services have also been curtailed, with eight passenger trains halted on Friday (November 21) and six more suspended on Saturday.

Electricity outages continue to affect 377,002 customers across the region.

Authorities warn that rainfall and flooding remain complicated and could worsen. Local governments are continuing to assess damage and coordinate recovery efforts.

Emergency forces are working to reach areas that remain heavily flooded in Đắk Lắk Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Tuấn Anh

Politburo member and Permanent Member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Trần Cẩm Tú is expected to inspect flood recovery operations in Khánh Hòa on Saturday.

A day earlier, the Government deployed three working groups to oversee emergency response and relief efforts: Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Hòa Bình in Đắk Lắk, Deputy Prime Minister Hồ Quốc Dũng in Lâm Đồng and Deputy Prime Minister Lê Thành Long in Gia Lai.

The Prime Minister also issued Decision No. 2549 approving an emergency allocation of VNĐ700 billion ($26.6 million) to four hardest-hit localities: Khánh Hòa and Lâm Đồng will each receive VNĐ200 billion, while Gia Lai and Đắk Lắk will receive VNĐ150 billion each.— VNA/VNS

Severe flooding caused the Luật Lễ embankment to collapse, sending water surging downstream, sweeping away residents’ property in Luật Lễ Hamlet (Tuy Phước Commune, Gia Lai Province) and submerging hundreds of homes further downstream. — VNA/VNS Photo Sỹ Thắng

Officers from the Military Region 5, together with Đắk Lắk provincial police and the People’s Committee of Hoà Thịnh Commune, continued moving deeper into the flood-struck area to carry out rescue operations and deliver food supplies to hundreds of households that have remained isolated for days. — VNA/VNS Photo Tường Quân