At least 10 people were killed and five others missing in central Vietnam after serious flooding over the past two days, officials said Thursday. Six were killed in Thua Thien-Hue, two in Quang Nam and one each in Quang Tri and Quang Ngai provinces.
Four people in Quang Nam and one more in Quang Ngai remained missing. In Thua Thien Hue and Quang Ngai provinces, a whirlwind on Tuesday injured 30 other people. "There have been heavy rains, causing serious flooding in the central region on Tuesday and Wednesday," Van Phu Chinh, an official from the central flood and storm prevention committee in Da Nang city, told AFP.
"Tens of thousands of houses were under water and hundreds of thousands of hectares of paddy fields had been destroyed," he said, adding that "flooding has interrupted or damaged transport systems in several districts," but water was starting to recede.
On Tuesday, the government sent an urgent message to local authorities asking them to take preventative measures against further flooding and landslides, while forecasters said there may be more heavy rain in the coming days.