The death toll from floods in northern Vietnam triggered by Typhoon Hagupit has risen to at least 25 while seven others are missing, disaster officials said yesterday.
The victims came from five different provinces, 10 of them from mountainous Son La, said an online report from the national flood and storm control department. State media had reported 16 dead on Friday.
Two people were crushed to death when houses damaged by the rushing waters collapsed on them in Son La Province, disaster official Nguyen Van Loan said.
PHOTO: AFP
He said the death toll in the province could rise when access and communication is restored to villages isolated by the storm.
Another three bodies have been recovered in Lang Son Province, which borders China, bringing the death toll there to seven, said Bui Thanh, a provincial disaster official.
“These people were swept away during floods,” he said, adding that little rain had been reported since Saturday morning.
In Bac Giang Province, two boys aged four and 10 and a mobile phone company technician were among the latest victims of the floods.
“The man, from Viettel Company, fell into the strong currents while he was trying to prevent floodwater from entering a telecom station,” said Bui Lien Son, deputy head of the province’s flood and storm office.
A total of 27 people have been reported injured.
Thousands of houses were inundated or destroyed while more than 97,700 hectares of crops had been damaged since floods and heavy rains ravaged the region on Wednesday night.
Typhoon Hagupit swept into Vietnam on Thursday.
State-run television VTV showed people in Bac Giang and Quang Ninh provinces taking refuge on the roofs of houses flooded to the eaves or on hills.
“This is the second time we were hit by floods in this province this year,” La Van Nam, a resident of Bac Giang province told VTV.
“We are in real difficulties as the floods damaged our rice crop,” he added.
Vietnam News Agency reported several remote communes in Quang Ninh and Son La provinces were cut off.
Nearly 5,300 soldiers have been mobilized for search and rescue operations.
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