Death toll rises to 36 as floods batter central Vietnam

Torrential rains caused by a cold front and tropical convergence zone have drenched central Vietnam since Oct. 23.

Local authorities and the military were dispatched to conduct rescue operations, but heavy rain has hampered their efforts.

Over 120,000 homes were either flooded or destroyed, nearly 5,000 hectares of crops were lost, 790 hectares of fruit trees were damaged, and more than 17,700 livestock perished, while floods and landslides obstructed 11 national highways.

Danang was the hardest hit, with seven people killed, four missing, 21 injured, over 76,000 homes flooded, and nearly 63,000 cubic meters of landslide debris.

Nearly 2 kilometers of roads, including national highways, provincial roads, and rural routes, were damaged or eroded.

The central highlands province of Lam Dong faced the worst destruction, with about 3,900 hectares of crops ruined, thousands of livestock and poultry drowned, and hundreds of hectares of rice fields, vegetable crops, and aquaculture farms destroyed.

Hue city recorded the heaviest rainfall, leaving over 44,000 homes submerged and causing significant losses in agriculture. The city is now in recovery and has opened its doors to tourists at the ancient citadel.

In Quang Ngai province, over 200 landslides dumped around 60,000 cubic meters of soil and rocks onto roads, disrupting passenger train services, while hundreds of residents remain without power.

The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting has warned that heavy rain will continue from Nov. 1 to Nov. 4 due to cold air and easterly wind disturbances, with total rainfall ranging from 200 millimeters to 300 millimeters, with some areas receiving more than 600 millimeters.

Major rivers in Hue, Danang, and Quang Ngai, including the Huong, Bo, Vu Gia-Thu Bon, and Tra Khuc rivers, have reached their peak levels and are now beginning to recede.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has instructed provincial leaders to continue with search and rescue operations, provide free medical care to the injured, and deliver food, water, medicines, and other essential supplies to isolated communities to facilitate recovery.

Vietnam lies in one of the world's most active tropical cyclone zones and is susceptible to heavy rainfall from June to September.