90 dead, 34 missing in Vietnam floods, landslides

At least 90 people have died, while 34 others were reported missing due to floods and landslides caused by the incessant rains in Vietnam over the last two weeks, disaster management authorities said on Monday.

In a statement, the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control said that majority of the fatalities were reported in the provinces of Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam, Xinhua news agency.

As of 6 a.m. on Monday, around 37,500 households with 121,280 people in the localities of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue were evacuated to safe areas.

Some 121,700 houses were still inundated, the committee said.

Since October 6, nearly 531,800 cattle and poultry have been killed or swept away.

The heavy downpours have also caused erosion and damages to several national highways and local roads, said the committee.

Schools in the central Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces have allowed students to stay home starting from Monday, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Heavy rains are expected in central localities until Wednesday, with downpour expected to be over 600 mm in some areas, generating high risks of floods, flash floods and inundation, the committee's said.

During an urgent meeting held on Sunday, it issued a level-four alert, the second highest level of warning. - IANS