Death toll rises to 35 in Vietnam floods

Hanoi, Nov 2 (IANS) The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in Vietnam's central region has risen to 35, with 5 people missing and 60 others injured, the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority said on Sunday.

More than 16,500 houses remain inundated, while 361 others were damaged, Xinhua news agency reported.

The floods also submerged over 5,300 hectares of rice and other crops, damaged nearly 800 hectares of fruit trees, and killed or swept away more than 42,000 livestock and poultry, according to the report.

Power has been restored for most affected areas, with around 75,000 households still without electricity.

Vietnam's government has approved an emergency relief fund of 450 billion Vietnamese dong (about 17.93 million USD) to support four cities and provinces in central Vietnam in their recovery efforts, including Hue, Da Nang, Quang Tri, and Quang Ngai.

Earlier in August, Eight people died and three others remained missing following flash floods and landslides in Vietnam's northern province of Dien Bien, local media reported.

Around 60 houses had been swept away or damaged by floodwaters, according to the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority.

Thirty villages remained isolated due to disrupted traffic.

Nearly 700 personnel, including police, military forces, local militia and members of various mass organisations, have been deployed to search for the missing.

These flash floods came just weeks after Typhoon Wipha had struck coastal areas between Hung Yen and Ninh Binh provinces of Vietnam.

--IANS

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