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Tragedy in Vietnam: Over 90 Lives Lost to Devastating Floods

Recent heavy rainfall has led to catastrophic flooding in Vietnam, resulting in at least 90 deaths and causing widespread devastation across several provinces.

Source: bbc.co.uk1 min read

In brief

In a recent weather disaster, Vietnam has reported that over 90 individuals have lost their lives due to severe flooding and landslides triggered by continuous heavy rainfall. The government estimates significant damage, affecting 186,000 homes and leading to the loss of millions of livestock. Emergency services are actively engaged in rescue operations in the hardest-hit areas, as the country grapples with the impact of climate change that exacerbates such extreme weather events.

At least 90 people have died and another 12 are missing after days of heavy rain in Vietnam led to flooding and landslides.

The Vietnamese government says 186,000 homes have been damaged across the country, with more than three million livestock swept away.

Officials estimate there has been hundreds of millions of pounds worth of damage.

The mountainous province of Dak Lak has been severely impacted, recording more than 60 deaths since 16 November, according to AFP news agency.

The floods are the latest extreme weather event to hit Vietnam in recent months, after typhoons Kalmaegi and Bualoi hit the country within weeks of each other.

Some 258,000 people were without power on Sunday morning and sections of major motorways and train tracks were blocked, officials said.

Military and police resources have been mobilised to assist in the hardest hit areas.

The government said the most severe impacts had been observed in five provinces - Quang Ngai, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa, and Lam Dong - clustered in south and south-central Vietnam.

Mach Van Si, a farmer in Dak Lak, told AFP: Our neighbourhood was completely destroyed. Nothing was left. Everything was covered in mud.

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính chaired a virtual emergency meeting on Sunday morning from South Africa, where he had been attending the G20 summit.

Rainfall had exceeded 1.5m (5ft) in several areas leading up to Friday, with some areas surpassing a 5.2m level not seen since 1993. The rain is forecast to ease in the coming days.

Scientists say that Vietnam has been left more exposed to extreme weather events by human-driven climate change, which has made typhoons stronger and more common.

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