Downpours kill three in northern Vietnam

Two people in Tuyen Quang were buried by landslides while the person in Hoa Binh was swept away by flash floods, the National Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control announced Tuesday, without elaborating.

Landslide and flash floods have destroyed almost 260 houses in the northern highlands, including over 100 in Tuyen Quang, 50 in Yen Bai and 40 in Ha Giang.

Floodwaters damaged 9,500 hectares of rice fields in several localities, with Hanoi suffering the most, losing more than 4,000 hectares, followed by Tuyen Quang and Phu Tho with 1,500 hectares each.

The floods also destroyed 65 hectares of aquaculture and killed 900 heads of cattle and poultry.

Landslides in Tuyen Quang Province on May 24, 2022. Photo by Tuyen Quang Province’s portal.

Heavy rains had caused landslides along four national highways and five provincial roads in the provinces of Dien Bien, Tuyen Quang, Lai Chau and Lao Cai, with the total amount of soil and rock dumped an estimated 25,000 cubic meters, interrupting traffic circulation.

A low-pressure area over the northern region had triggered rains starting May 19, but the heaviest ones appeared since last Saturday.

Between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tuesday, the rainfall was measured at almost 200 mm in Thai Binh, more than 130mm in Hai Phong City, 80 mm in Tuyen Quang, and almost 90 mm in Bac Ninh and 70 mm in Thai Nguyen.

Widespread rains should subside starting Wednesday in northern and central Vietnam, though mountainous areas in the north may see rains continue for a few days more, meteorologists said.