HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Floods swept through central Vietnam this week after record rains, leaving at least 10 dead and five missing, officials said, as cities, farmland and transportation networks were hit by the onslaught.
Six deaths and four people were reported missing in the coastal city of Danang, where another 19 people were injured and homes, crops and thousands of livestock were swept away, according to local authorities.
The city is seen as a future growth engine for Vietnam, raising concerns about damage.
In Hue, the former imperial capital, one person drowned and a five-year-old girl was reported missing after falling into the waters, state media said. Much of the city remains under water, with rivers overflowing after rainfall reached 1,085 millimeters (42 inches) in 24 hours late Monday, the highest amount ever recorded in Vietnam, according to the national meteorological agency.
At least three people were killed in Quang Ngai province, which saw more than 120 landslides along major roads, state media said. Some routes remain blocked, trapping 50 people in 37 vehicles for three days.
The breaking of a river dam, increased flooding and landslides in mountainous areas have isolated dozens of neighborhoods in rural areas of the province.
Vietnam’s meteorological agency said a surge of cool air from the north collided with warm, humid winds from the sea, triggering a chain of storms that have battered central provinces for days. The winds forced rain-laden clouds to crash into the mountains, causing even heavier downpours.
Forecasters warn that the same pattern will continue into Thursday night, keeping the ground saturated and the risk of further flooding and landslides high.
Police and military forces have been deployed to affected areas, and authorities in Quang Ngai are testing drone delivery of food and supplies to isolated residents.
Central Vietnam frequently faces heavy rain and tropical storms, but experts say the scale and intensity of this week’s flooding highlights the growing dangers linked to changing rainfall patterns in a warming climate. The country is among the most flood-prone in the world and almost half of its population lives in high-risk areas.
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