Khaberni - The Vietnamese Ministry of Environment announced today, Sunday, that the number of flood and landslide victims, which have swept the country in recent days, has risen to 90 dead. Meanwhile, rescue teams are still searching for 12 missing under massive amounts of rubble and water.
Extensive areas in southern and central Vietnam have been experiencing a series of incessant heavy rains since late October, leading to severe floods that submerged tourist cities and historical sites, causing significant damage to infrastructure.
Water flooded entire districts in the coastal city of Nha Trang, while mudslides in mountainous passes near Da Lat resort resulted in fatalities and destroyed major roads.
The Ministry of Environment explained that Dak Lak province, located in the center of the country, alone recorded more than 60 deaths since November 16, in addition to tens of thousands of homes that were overwhelmed by water.
The suffering continues
Official media reported that relief teams are still exerting intense efforts to rescue people trapped by water on the roofs of their homes or forced to cling to trees until help arrives, this as water levels began to recede on Friday.
The suffering of the people continues, as many highways are still cut off and impassable due to destruction, while about 300,000 people live without electricity after a widespread outage initially affected more than one million people.
According to data from the national statistics office, natural disasters in Vietnam from January to October this year resulted in the death or disappearance of 279 people, in addition to material losses exceeding two billion dollars.
Vietnam is among the countries most vulnerable to severe monsoonal rains that occur in the region between June and September, and experts warn that climate change resulting from human activities is leading to an increase in the intensity and severity of these weather phenomena, thereby multiplying the risks to people and infrastructure.
