Flash floods take five lives, dozens evacuated
A weekend flash flood in the mountainous north killed five people, authorities said, while another person remains missing after the deluge.
Heavy rains triggering flash floods were reported on Saturday night in Son La province, destroying 22 houses, damaging scores more and forcing dozens of families to evacuate, the agriculture ministry said yesterday.
Three bodies were recovered on Monday, a ministry statement said, adding to two others already found dead in the aftermath.
The search for another person is ongoing.
More than 180ha of crops and 2,600 cattle and poultry were also swept away.
Last week, Tropical Storm Wipha killed three people and flooded nearly 4,000 homes in the country's central Nghe An province.
A sudden whirlwind and abnormal weather pattern overturned a tourist boat in Vietnam's Unesco area of Ha Long Bay on July 19, killing 39 people, including several children.
In September, Typhoon Yagi devastated northern Vietnam, leaving 345 people dead. — AFP
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