Floods Leave 55 Dead, 22 Missing in Central Vietnam

The number of dead and missing people in central Vietnam had climbed to 55 and 22 as of Oct 7 respectively, the Thoi Bao Kinh Te Sai Gon newspaper reported Oct 7. Floods beginning Oct 4 also caused an initial damage of nearly VND2.2 trillion ($112.82 million). Quang Binh province took the lead with 40 fatalities, 18 missing people and an estimated loss of VND1.33 trillion, followed by Ha Tinh with seven deaths and one missing. The floods also submerged more than 103,000 houses in Quang Binh and 26,338 ones in Ha Tinh. The Vietnamese government has urgently allocated 1,000 tons of rice and VND100 billion as relief aid to the two provinces each as part of efforts to help locals cope with the floods. Meanwhile, hundreds of people in the three districts of Tuyen Hoa, Minh Hoa and Bo Trach in Quang Binh are being got stuck in the mountains due to avoiding the floods. Hanoi has decided to grant VND5 billion and Ho Chi Minh City donated VND3.5 billion to the victims in flood-hit areas. Meanwhile, the Vietnam Red Cross Society provided VND820 million to help three heavily-affected provinces of Quang Binh, Ha Tinh and Nghe An. (Thoi Bao Kinh Te Sai Gon – Saigon Economic Times Oct 8, baodientu.chinhphu.vn Oct 7)