Vietnam floods kill 90, leave residents trapped on rooftops

Vietnam floods kill 90, leave residents trapped on rooftops

HANOI, Vietnam (VoM) — Days of heavy rain and flooding in south-central Vietnam have killed at least 90 people and left others stranded on rooftops, authorities said Sunday. Floodwaters and landslides have cut off travel in several provinces, where rescue workers continue to reach isolated communities.

Downpours have hammered the region since late October, swamping popular tourist destinations and causing widespread damage. Early government estimates put economic losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Neighborhoods in the coastal city of Nha Trang were under water last week, while landslides blocked highland roads near Da Lat. The mountainous province of Dak Lak has recorded more than 60 deaths since Nov. 16, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Mach Van Si, 61, said he and his wife survived by climbing to the roof of their home as floodwaters surged.

“Our neighborhood was completely destroyed. Nothing was left. Everything was covered in mud,” Si told AFP. “I just thought we were going to die because there was no way out.”

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Tens of thousands of homes were inundated in Dak Lak. In Tuy Hoa, vendors cleaned up soaked and muddy goods as markets reopened. Items once considered safe from flooding were drenched as water levels climbed more than a meter — far beyond past storm surges.

“My goods look like one big soggy mess,” said vendor Vo Huu Du, 40. “All the vendors are devastated, not just me.”

More than 80,000 hectares (200,000 acres) of rice and crops have been damaged in five provinces, and about 3.2 million livestock and poultry have been killed or swept away, the ministry said.

The government deployed helicopters and emergency crews to deliver food, clothing, and water-purification tablets to areas cut off by landslides. Several national highways remained blocked Sunday, and rail service was suspended in some locations.

The ministry estimated roughly $343 million in economic losses across the affected provinces.

Natural disasters caused 279 deaths or disappearances in Vietnam between January and October and more than $2 billion in damage, according to the General Statistics Office. Scientists have linked increasingly severe weather to climate change.