Torrential rains inundate a section of a local road in the coastal central province of Khánh Hòa. —VNA/VNS Photo Phan Sáu

HÀ NỘI — Five people were killed and one people is still missing after being swept away by floods triggered by recent torrential rains in the central and Central Highlands regions.

The dead include an 8-year-old girl, an 11-year-old girl, a 28-year-old woman, a 31-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man, three of them in Khanh Hoa Province and two in Lam Dong Province.

The 31-year-old woman was discovered yesterday morning in Lạc Dương District, the Central Highlands province of Lâm Đồng.

She was a tourist, who was participating in a mountain climbing tour in the province. She was swept away by a flood while she and another tourist, who was still missing as of yesterday, were crossing a suspension bridge.

The tour was organised by a company based in District 8, HCM City and the Centre for Ecotourism and Environmental Education under Bidoup - Núi Bà National Park based in Lâm Đồng Province.

Local authorities said they would clarify responsibilities of those involved in organising mountain tours when floods were happening.

A report released yesterday morning by the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control said the torrential rains, with an average rainfall of 150-300mm, between last Saturday and Tuesday, destroyed eight houses in the coastal central province of Khánh Hoà and inundated 180 houses in the Central Highlands province of Đắk Lắk.

Landslides, caused by the torrential rains, also blocked many sections of National Highways and provincial roads in Quảng Nam, Quảng Ngãi, Đắk Lắk and Khánh Hòa provinces.

In response to the situation, the National Steering Committee on Search and Rescue in affected provinces mobilised forces to search for missing people, evacuate people living in areas at high risks of flash floods and landslides to safety and quickly remedy the consequences, the report said.

In another development, the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting yesterday warned the northern region would experience a sharp drop of temperature due to a cold spell from Thursday night.

The slowest temperature is forecast to be 11-14 degrees Celsius for the region, with the lowest temperature under 5 degrees Celsius in mountainous areas.

The centre also warned of showers in provinces from Hà Tĩnh to Quảng Ngãi from today due to the cold spell. — VNS