Rescue teams in Vietnam continued urgent search operations on Saturday as more than a dozen people remained missing following a week of devastating floods that have claimed at least 55 lives. Authorities said the widespread inundation, triggered by relentless rainfall, has left communities reeling across six provinces.
Heavy downpours have battered south-central Vietnam since late October, overwhelming drainage systems and submerging homes, businesses, and farmland. Popular tourist destinations were among the worst hit. In the coastal city of Nha Trang, entire streets were swallowed by water earlier this week, while nearby highland regions—including the scenic Da Lat area—saw deadly landslides tear through mountain passes.
The environment ministry confirmed that 55 people had died since Sunday, with 13 others still unaccounted for. Dak Lak province suffered the greatest number of casualties, with more than two dozen fatalities reported. Even as waters began to recede on Friday, emergency crews were still rescuing stranded residents from rooftops, treetops, and isolated patches of high ground, state media said.
Infrastructure across the region remained severely disrupted. Several major highways were blocked or washed out on Saturday, complicating rescue and relief efforts. Power outages also persisted, with nearly 300,000 people still without electricity—although authorities noted that more than a million households were initially affected when the blackout began earlier in the week.
Vietnam’s national statistics office reported that natural disasters between January and October have caused 279 deaths or disappearances nationwide and inflicted more than $2 billion in economic losses. Experts warn that the country, long accustomed to heavy monsoon rains, is now facing increasingly intense and destructive weather events. Scientists attribute this trend to human-driven climate change, which they say is amplifying rainfall extremes and heightening the risk of catastrophic flooding.
Leave a comment