 "At least 90 people have been killed across six provinces. (Reuters)")
Relentless rains and floods have killed at least 90 people in central Vietnam since the weekend, while searches continue for nine others still missing, according to AFP reports. More than 52,000 homes have been submerged, and half a million households and businesses have been left without power, prompting tens of thousands of residents to evacuate from flood-affected regions.
Rainfall in several areas over the past three days has exceeded 1.5 m, rising even beyond the 1993 flood peak of 5.2 m in some parts. The country has faced repeated bouts of extreme weather in recent months, with typhoons Kalmaegi and Bualoi leaving a trail of death and destruction only weeks apart.
Death toll rises across provinces as rescuers battle difficult conditions
Rescuers raced on Saturday to find more than a dozen people still missing after a week of heavy flooding across Vietnam, where authorities confirmed at least 55 deaths on Saturday. South-central regions have been lashed by relentless rain since late October, and several popular holiday destinations have endured repeated rounds of flooding. Entire city blocks in coastal Nha Trang were inundated this week, while deadly landslides struck highland passes around the Da Lat tourist hub.
Mountainous Dak Lak province was the hardest hit, recording more than two dozen fatalities. State media reported rescuers still plucking people from treetops and the roofs of homes as floodwaters receded there on Friday. Multiple highways remained impassable on Saturday, and around 300,000 people were without power, following an earlier blackout that initially affected more than a million.
Natural disasters have left 279 people dead or missing in Vietnam and caused more than $2 billion in damage between January and October, the national statistics office said. Although the country is prone to heavy rain between June and September, scientists have identified a pattern of human-driven climate change that is making extreme weather increasingly frequent and destructive.