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At least 43 people died in this vietnam after a torrential rain shower caused more floods and landslides In the central areas of the country.
More than 1,500 mm of rain fell in many parts of central Vietnam over the past three days. The region is home to a major coffee production belt as well as some of the country’s most popular beaches, but is highly prone to storms and floods.
A suspension bridge over the Da Nim River in Lam Dong province was washed away on Thursday morning vietnamnet The newspaper reported. A video clip shows the bridge sinking into the river within seconds.
Power outages were to more than a million customers at their peak, but power has since been restored to about 615,000 homes. Traders said floodwaters were hampering coffee crops in the area.
The national weather forecasting agency warned of more floods and landslides on Friday, with heavy rain continuing to hit the region.
The Department of Dike Management and Flood and Storm Control confirmed on Friday that at least 16 people died in Dak Lak, 14 in Khanh Hoa, five in Gia Lai, four in Lam Dong and two each in Thua Thien Hue and Da Nang.
Vietnamese authorities estimate that the floods caused initial economic damage of up to VND3 trillion (£86.93m). Tuy Hoa airport in Phu Yen province had to be closed for about 14 hours on Thursday due to flooding, according to reports.
“Any groups out there please help! We have been sitting on rooftops since 10pm last night, including children and adults,” a resident of Khanh Hoa province posted on a local Facebook page. The post was accompanied by a photo of a group of people sitting on the metal roof of a house that was flooded due to rain.
Vietnam News Agency reported that naval forces had been deployed to help civilians trapped in Khanh Hoa, adding that floodwaters had reached record highs in many areas.
At least nine people are missing and more than 52,000 homes and 15,000 hectares of crops have been inundated by the floods, according to a report by the government’s disaster management agency cited by online newspaper VnExpress.
A seven-year-old girl was rescued after being buried in a landslide in Da Lat late Wednesday night, Nhan Dan newspaper reported. He was pulled out after an hour and a half with a broken leg and taken to hospital.
Due to the landslide caused by heavy rains, the part of the house where the girl was living collapsed and got buried under it.
Restaurant owner Bui Quoc Vinh said his shops in Nha Trang were submerged under about a meter of water. “I’m worried about my furniture in my restaurants and shops, but of course I can’t do anything now,” he told AFP. “I don’t think the water is going to go down any time soon, because the rain hasn’t stopped.”
Vietnam’s Defense Ministry has deployed 21,300 personnel and 838 vehicles to aid residents and pressed four military planes to carry nine tons of food and essential supplies to isolated areas.
The Southeast Asian country has been hit by extreme weather events in recent months. Vietnam is one of the most flood-prone countries in the world, with almost half of its population living in high-risk areas.
Scientists warn that a warming climate is increasing storms and rainfall across Southeast Asia, making floods and landslides increasingly destructive and more frequent.