Flash floods strangle central Vietnam

By Bennett Murray

HANOI, Vietnam (AA) – Five people have died in flash floods in central Vietnam as torrential downpours brought life to a halt.

A report released by the Central Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention on Saturday said the storm, which hit Thursday and continued Friday, has submerged around 30,000 houses in Quang Binh and Ha Tinh provinces.

Another 764 homes have been destroyed while four people have gone missing.

The storm, which hit a narrow stretch of land between Laos and the South China Sea, has brought transit to a standstill in one of the country’s most crucial north-south transportation corridors.

Flooding has put 43 trains containing 10,000 passengers and 400 tons of cargo on hold, reported the VN Express news site Saturday. Thousands of trucks are also reportedly stalled on the road.

Authorities warn of more damage to come given the high likelihood of landslides occurring in the wake of the downpour.