Officials said on Sunday that flash floods and landslides in central Vietnam killed not less than 12 people, after sending a whole bunch of troops to clear destroyed villages and flooded roads.
Heavy rains have hit the central province of Khanh Hoa over the past few days as Tropical Depression Toraji moved in from the South China Sea, triggering landslides that swept away homes and destroyed a small reservoir.
At least a dozen people have been killed thus far and several other others were missing, said an official with the provincial disaster office who didn’t want to offer his name.
“We have mobilized hundreds of soldiers to help people restore their lives and clean up damaged roads,” he said.
The principal highway linking northern and southern Vietnam was temporarily blocked and a few rail routes were disrupted, while state media photos showed destroyed homes buried in debris and vehicles submerged in floodwaters.
Panicked residents said they fled their homes when landslides fell from the nearby mountains.
“We fled once we heard the large sound of falling rocks… When we returned just a few hours later, all our homes had been destroyed,” Nha Trang resident Liem said, as quoted by the official online news service of Khanh Hoa province.
Khanh Hoa – home to the favored seaside resort of Nha Trang – was devastated by Typhoon Damrey last 12 months, killing 27 people.
Since January, natural disasters have killed not less than 185 people in Vietnam.
According to official data, natural disasters killed 389 people last 12 months, causing damage price $2.6 billion.
