THỪA THIÊN- HUẾ — Continuous heavy rain since Sunday evening worsened the inundation in lowland areas in the central provinces of Thừa Thiên-Huế and Quảng Trị, with three people reported dead.

In Thừa Thiên- Huế, water in the province’s biggest rivers of Bồ and Hương, fell to below the yellow alert level from flooding on Monday, but began rising again yesterday.

Water in Hương River reached yellow alert level in the afternoon, while water in Bồ River rose faster and exceeded red alert level last night. 

Phan Thanh Hùng, an official in the province’s Committee for Disaster Prevention and Rescue warned schools in the Bồ River basin to remain shut, as severe floods would inundate the communes of Phong Điền, Quảng Điền, and Hương Trà again.

A report by the committee said that Monday’s flooding killed three people who were commuting by boat and motorbike before a strong current swept them away. Another resident sustained severe head injuries due to a fall when she was in a rush to protect her property from floodwater.

The report also said inundation affected 7,700 families, with water levels from 0.2m to 0.6m entering their homes. Floods disrupted life of Thừa Thiên- Huế residents, especially in lowland Quảng Điền and Hương Trà districts, as traffic on many roads around the province was blocked, hindering trade and daily travel.

The flood yesterday evening was the fifth flood within one month in the locality. In early November, three floods killed 12 people and flooded more than 17,000 houses in both urban and rural areas.

In Quảng Trị, the Monday floods isolated eight communes in Hải Lăng District. The province’s Committee for Disaster Prevention and Rescue reported that 323 houses were flooded with water levels reaching 0.5m. No casualties were reported. — VNS