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Flood fatalities increase to 130 in Vietnam

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-18 14:02

HANOI -- Flash floods and landslides, which started to hit Vietnam's northern region on August 8, have claimed 130 lives, left 32 people missing, and injured 90 others, local newspaper People's Army on Monday quoted the country's Central Committee for Flood and Storm Control as reporting.

Northern provinces hit by the floods and landslides include Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Phu Tho, Quang Ninh, Ha Giang, Lang Son, Bac Can, Lai Chau, Thai Nguyen and Dien Bien.

The floods and landslides have damaged over 19,000 houses, 17, 000 hectares of paddy rice and other crops, many road and rail sections, bridges, dykes, and irrigation works in the provinces, causing total property losses of nearly 2 trillion Vietnamese dong (nearly $119.8 million), local newspaper Vietnam Economic Times reported Monday.

In mid-August, some southern provinces were affected by whirlwinds and landslides sparkled by heavy rain. In southern Dong Thap province, one local man was killed by a landslide, two people were injured, 17 houses were destroyed, and 77 other houses damaged by the whirlwinds, said People's Army newspaper.