Heavy rains hit Vietnam, leaving at least 8 people dead or missing

Rounds of heavy rain hit parts of northern and central Vietnam on Monday and Tuesday, October 6, 2020, causing floods and landslides in which at least 8 people lost their lives or are considered missing.

The northern province of Lao Cai, home to the resort town of Sa Pa, registered 400 mm (15.7 inches) of rain in just 9 hours, triggering flash floods in which one three-year-old girl lost its life. 

This is considered the heaviest October rain in 63 years.

Floods have also destroyed tens of hectares of farmland and gardens, and damaged 35 houses.

In 24 hours to October 7, Hong Linh in Quang Tri Province registered 435 mm (17.1 inches) of rain.

One person died in Quang Tri's Hai Lang district while 4 people are missing in the mountainous district of Huong Hoa.

The province of Gia Lai has reported 2 deaths.

Image credit: NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP/VIIRS. Acquired October 7, 2020

Heavy rains are expected to continue to rage on from Thursday, October 8 to Saturday, October 10 in the central provinces of Ha Tinh and Quang Nam.

The downpour for this period will be anywhere from 250 to 550 mm (9.8 – 21.6 inches), while some areas are expected to receive over 600 mm (23.6 inches) of rain.

Deputy director of the Central Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and head of the General Department for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Tran Quang Hoai has said that this is a very dangerous situation and that the rainfall can reach up to 1 500 mm (59 inches) in some areas in the coming days.

Featured image: ​Image credit: NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP/VIIRS. Acquired October 7, 2020