Heavy rains caused by tropical storm Wipha have caused severe flooding in the central Vietnamese province of Nghe An, killing at least three people and leaving one more missing, UNN reports with reference to Reuters.
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Vietnam, with its long coastline facing the South China Sea, is prone to typhoons, which often cause deadly floods and landslides. Wipha is the first major storm to hit the country this year.
Wipha made landfall in Vietnam on Tuesday, after hitting Hong Kong and China, and also intensifying monsoon rains and floods in the Philippines.
One of the victims was buried by a landslide, and another was swept away by a strong current, the Kinh Te Moi Truong newspaper reported, citing information from the Nghe An People's Committee.
More than 3,700 houses in the province were submerged by floodwaters, and another 459 were damaged by strong winds, the publication reported.
Photos in state media show houses in the province's villages submerged up to their roofs.
"Our rice, our clothes, and our money – everything is gone," Dang Thi Ngoc, a local flood victim, told state broadcaster VTV. "We have nothing left but our bare hands."
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The report states that the flood also damaged 1,600 hectares of rice plantations and 1,290 hectares of cash crops in the province.
The government's meteorological forecasting agency said that heavy rains, reaching 250 millimeters, are expected on Thursday and Friday, and could last until Saturday in several areas of northern Vietnam, potentially causing new floods.