Floodwaters start to recede in Vietnam capital

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-11-03 16:10

HANOI, Vietnam -- The death toll from nearly a week of flooding across northern and central Vietnam stood Monday at 54 and parts of the capital remainded under water, but rains were easing and floodwaters receding in many areas.

Residents ride their motorcycles through a flooded street in Hanoi November 2, 2008. Floods triggered by torrential rains in northern and central Vietnam have killed at least 30 people, state media said on Sunday, more than half of them in the capital Hanoi hit by the worst flooding in more than two decades. [Agencies]

Hanoi alone recorded 18 deaths since heavy rains started lashing the city Friday, authorities said. Elsewhere, 34 deaths have been reported, authorities said.

More rains were expected in the capital and some northern provinces Monday and Tuesday, but weather forecasters said they would be lighter than the downpours that soaked the capital over the weekend.

That would provide welcome relief to residents of Hanoi, where many streets were under three feet (a meter) of water and scores of businesses remained shuttered.

"I have been stuck in my house for the past three days," said Nguyen Manh Hung, a businessman who lives on a street in southern Hanoi where water reached his waist. "It's unbelievable to see people navigating the street in boats and by horse-drawn carriages."

Vietnamese television on Sunday night quoted Hanoi Mayor Nguyen The Thao as saying it would take the city four or five days to pump excess water into the Red River, longer if heavy rains resume.

More than 20 inches (500 millimeters) of rain have fallen on the city in the past three days, the heaviest rains in more than two decades.

Authorities reported four more deaths Monday morning, with two bodies recovered in northern Vinh Phuc province and two more in Bac Giang province.

Floods have inundated more than 100,000 homes across northern and central Vietnam, the national committee for flood and storm control said on its Web site.

More than 590,000 acres (240,000 hectares) of rice and vegetables have been destroyed and about 100 miles (170 kilometers) of rural roads have been damaged, it said.