HÀ NỘI – Storm Rai has killed at least five people and left ten others missing over the past few days in central localities, according to the latest report from the National Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control.

Some 26 people were also injured due to falling trees, collapsed houses and landslides after the storm, the fourth to hit Việt Nam this year, made landfall in the central region early this week.

Heavy rains caused flash flood and landslide in Nghệ An Province’s Quỳ Châu District, which borders Như Xuân District of Thanh Hóa Province, yesterday, killing two people from Thanh Hóa and one from Nghệ An while leaving five others missing. Two people from Quảng Bình Province reportedly died. Local authorities of the two provinces have mobilised all their forces to search for the missing people. 

The Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control also reported that 90 houses were destroyed, 612 houses were damaged and 53 houses had their roofs blown away.

More than 1,700 houses and 11,655ha of rice were submerged, while thousands of trees had fallen.

In addition, thousands of poultry and cattle had died due to flooding in the localities hit by the storm, while over 1,000ha of aquaculture farmland was damaged. Hundreds of kilometres of national and provincial highways were also damaged and 19 small bridges were destroyed.

Meanwhile, thousands of students in Hà Tĩnh and Nghệ An were kept home from schools due to floods.

The committee has urged authorities of localities in the central region to take measures to deal with the aftermath of the storm.

The central localities have been requested to assess the damage caused by Storm Rai and mobilise forces to help people stabilise their lives. The Steering Committee also asked the provinces to undertake active measures to deal with the effects of Super Typhoon Meranti, which hit China’s Taiwan yesterday and is forecast to land in Guangdong Province today.

Provinces from Nghệ An to Quảng Bình have been told to implement measures to deal with the rain and the floods caused by the typhoon and inspect the safety of lakes and dams, especially those under construction on rivers and streams in areas where heavy rainfall is expected. – VNS