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40 killed, 22 missing after heavy rain, floods and landslides hit Vietnam

vietnam-flood-hoa-binh

At least 40 people have been killed and 22 remain missing after Tropical Depression 23W dumped heavy rain and triggered floods and landslides across central and northern Vietnam. The death toll is currently one of the highest ever recorded in Vietnam caused by flooding, Vietnam's disaster prevention agency said.

Head of the office of the People's Committee in Hoa Binh, the hardest hit province, confirmed Thursday that rescuers have so far recovered 6 bodies from a landslide in Khanh Village, Tan Lac District. According to initial reports, the landslide occurred at around 01:00 local time Thursday, October 12, crushing 4 houses and burying 18 people. 

At least 11 people have died and 21 went missing in the province.

"It's impossible to fight against this water, it's the strongest in years," Ngo Thi Su, a resident in Hoa Binh, told state-run Vietnam Television.

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In Yen Bai Province's Nghia Lo town, flooding inundated 24 neighborhoods and villages, washing away 11 homes in the process.

Among the missing people is a Vietnam News Agency journalist reporting on the floods, who was swept away after the Thia Bridge he and at least 4 other people were crossing collapsed at about 12:00 local time Wednesday, October 11.

Eyewitnesses said the incident occurred when the reporters were filming on the bridge, crossing the Thia River in Nghĩa Lộ Town to show the floods that caused the river to rise.

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In total, 217 houses were swept away by floodwaters, 1 059 were severely damaged by strong winds and water and 16 740 buildings sustained minor and moderate damage in 6 central and northern provinces as of October 12.

Over a three-day period, some parts of central and northern Vietnam recorded up to 500 mm (19.7 inches) of rain.

Featured image: Floods in Vietnam, October 2017. Credit: Phobos

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