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Floods kill 13 in central Vietnam
HANOI, Dec 13, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Floods caused by heavy downpours have
killed 13 people in central Vietnam, officials said Thursday, as farmers
scrambled to save crops and livestock ahead of more bad weather forecast for
this week.
Torrential rains have lashed six provinces in the centre of the country
since Saturday, killing thousands of cows and chickens and flooding several
cities — including the coastal resort town of Danang.
More than 50 centimetres (20 inches) of rain hit some areas, with more
downpours expected in the coming days, the disaster management office said
Thursday.
“Thirteen people were killed, while one remains missing in Quang Ngai
province,” the office said.
Around 12,000 hectares of crops were destroyed, and some 160,000 livestock
killed, it added.
One farmer in Quang Nam province said he lost all his chickens in the
flooding, costing him tens of thousands of dollars.
“The water receded but thousands of our chickens were dead. We had to
collect them for burial as the smell was so bad,” Nguyen Thanh said, quoted
by state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper.
Several areas in Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces were still inundated on
Thursday after hydropower plants discharged reservoir waters.
Vietnam is frequently hit by heavy downpours during the typhoon season from
May to October, but forecasters said the rains arrived late this year.
More than 200 people have been killed in weather-related disasters in 2018,
down from 389 last year.
BSS/AFP/MRI/1156 hrs