Record rains and flooding in Vietnam

Photo: depositphotos

Flooding in Vietnam has already caused massive damage this year and the situation is worsening as more torrential rains hit the central part of the country. According to the government, the situation is most serious in the cities of Da Nang and Hoi An.

Search teams are still searching for several missing citizens. Rescuers have also treated several residents who were injured in the floods. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment says the downpours have triggered at least 150 landslides. The water has flooded 2,200 hectares of agricultural land and 13,000 homes have been submerged.

A separate report from the government agency said most of the flooded homes were in the tourist attractions of Hue and Hoi An. The imperial capital of Hue, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has seen nearly 35,000 homes flooded. The military has evacuated more than 3,000 people from the city and mobilized around 6,000 officers.

Many homes in Hoi An remain flooded, some up to the roof. In the coastal city of Da Nang, 75,000 homes were flooded and surrounding rivers rose to alarming levels.

The government's meteorological agency said heavy rains in central Vietnam will continue at least until the end of the workweek. Many places in Vietnam received up to 400 millimeters of rain on Wednesday and Thursday. It is worth noting that floods and landslides in Vietnam have claimed 187 lives in the first nine months of this year.

Source: Aljazeera, Editorial Weathersunshine.com