The coastal provinces of central Vietnam have been hit by heavy rains since Sunday, with record precipitation reaching 1.7 meters in 24 hours. At least ten people have died and eight others are missing, reported the Ministry of Environment in a statement released today.
More than 128,000 homes in five central provinces have also been flooded, with water levels reaching three meters in some areas, the ministry stated.
Residents waded through waist-deep water in the ancient city of Hoi An, an important tourist center listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, while shop ground floors were submerged, noted a journalist from the France-Presse news agency.
Several kilometers of roads have been damaged or blocked by flooding and landslides this week, with more than five thousand hectares of crops destroyed and over 16,000 head of livestock dead, the Ministry of Environment added.
The river in the city of Da Nang, about 20 kilometers north of Hoi An, overflowed, reaching alarming levels and surpassing a 60-year record. More flooding is expected in the province over the next two days, the ministry warned on Wednesday.
Earlier in October, parts of northern Vietnam had already been flooded due to the passage of typhoons Bualoi and Matmo. Natural disasters, mainly storms, floods, and landslides, have caused the death or disappearance of 187 people in the Southeast Asian country this year. Total economic losses have been estimated at nearly 525 million euros.
Global warming is making tropical storms stronger and wetter, according to experts, due to rising ocean temperatures, resulting in more intense winds, heavier rains, and changes in precipitation patterns across East Asia. Vietnam is among the countries with the highest number of floods in the world, with nearly half of the population living in at-risk areas.
