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Floodwaters swept through central Vietnam after record-breaking rainfall this week, killing at least 10 people and leaving five missing, while cities, farms and transportation networks were hit by the onslaught, officials said.
Six people were reported dead and four missing in the coastal city of Danang, where 19 others were injured and homes, crops and thousands of livestock were swept away, according to local officials.
The city is seen as a future growth engine for Vietnam, leading to concern over the damage.
In the former imperial capital Hue, a man drowned after falling into floodwaters and a 5-year-old girl was reported missing, state media said. Much of the city was under water and rivers were overflowing as 1,085 millimeters (42 inches) of rain fell in 24 hours by late Monday, the highest amount ever recorded in Vietnam, according to the national weather agency.
State media said at least three people died in Quang Ngai province, where more than 120 landslides were recorded on major highways. Some routes are blocked, leaving 50 people in 37 vehicles stranded for three days.
Broken river embankments, rising flood waters and landslides in mountainous areas have left dozens of areas in rural parts of the province isolated.
Vietnam’s meteorological agency said a blast of cold air from the north collided with warm, moisture-laden winds coming from the sea, triggering a series of storms that hit central provinces for several days. The winds forced rain-laden clouds higher into the mountains, causing even heavier rainfall.
Forecasters have warned that the same trend will continue through Thursday night, leaving the ground saturated and posing a risk of further flooding and landslides.
Police And military forces have been deployed to affected areas, and authorities in Quang Ngai are testing drone deliveries of food and supplies to isolated residents.
Central Vietnam often faces heavy rainfall and tropical storms, yet experts say the scale and intensity of this week’s flooding highlights the growing risks associated with changing rainfall patterns in a warming climate. The country is one of the most flood-prone in the world, with almost half of its population living in high-risk areas.
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