Flooding kills 8 in central Vietnam

By Bennett Murray

HANOI, Vietnam

Ongoing floods in central Vietnam have killed at least eight people as emergency services mobilize.

Six were reported dead in Quang Binh province while another two died in Quang Tri province, according to the VN Express news site.

Two people are also reported missing and another seven injured.

The heavy rain arrived Tuesday afternoon following a cold spell and quickly flooded 20,000 houses with waters up to 3 meters (9.84 meters) deep.

While the flooding had partially eased Thursday, soldiers continue to evacuate residents from at-risk areas.

Six hydroelectric dams in Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam provinces have opened their gates to avoid breaches, causing additional flooding in the vicinity.

The most recent flooding comes just two weeks after 31 people were killed in flash floods caused by a tropical depression in central Vietnam’s Quang Binh and Ha Tinh provinces.