Natural Disasters Leave 481 Dead or Missing in Vietnam in 2009

Natural disasters left 481 dead and missing in Vietnam and caused total losses of VND23.2 trillion ($1.25 billion) this year, nearly doubling last year’s figure, the government’s General Statistics Office said Thursday. The calamities destroyed 279,000 hectares of rice and subsidiary crops, 11,000 hectares of aquaculture area, 19,000 meters of dykes, 27,000 meters of embankments, 1,177 km of road and 25,000 houses.
Provinces and cities allocated VND888.6 billion ($48 million) and 25,000 tons of rice to help flood victims, of which VND750 billion ($40.6 million) and 25,000 tons of rice came from the state reserve.