Floods and landslides in central Vietnam claim 55 lives, 13 missing

The death toll from severe flooding and landslides across central Vietnam has risen to 55, with 13 people still reported missing, authorities confirmed on November 22.

Dak Lak province has been the hardest hit, reporting 27 fatalities, followed by Khanh Hoa with 14 deaths. Gia Lai and Lam Dong each recorded five casualties, while Hue and Da Nang reported one death each, as per Vietnamese media.

Most of the missing persons are in Dak Lak and Khanh Hoa.

The casualty count increased by 10 compared with the previous day as disaster assessments continued, even as river levels on many major waterways began to decline.

The Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention reported that rainfall eased significantly on Friday across Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa, and Lam Dong provinces, with scattered totals remaining below 30 mm throughout the day.

Early Saturday measurements showed water levels dropping on key rivers across the region, although they still pose serious risks. The Krong Ana River in Dak Lak remains 2.06 meters above alarm level three, the highest warning stage, while the Serepok River, also in Dak Lak, stands 3.46 meters above level three.

In Khanh Hoa province, home to the popular beach city of Nha Trang, the Dinh Ninh Hoa River registered 0.27 meters above level three, while the Ba River was slightly below level two at 0.3 meters.

Rain is forecast to continue on November 23 in Hue and the eastern parts of provinces from Da Nang to Gia Lai, with general totals expected to range from 30 to 70 mm.

Officials report that 946 houses have been destroyed, nearly 780 of them in Lam Dong. About 28,500 homes remain inundated as of Saturday, primarily in Dak Lak (11,600), Khanh Hoa (10,400), and Gia Lai (6,500).

Preliminary economic losses are estimated at over VND 8.98 trillion ($340.7 million), up nearly VND 6 trillion from the previous day’s assessment.

The damage includes nearly 80,000 hectares of rice and crops, more than 100,000 hectares of perennial crops, 3.2 million heads of livestock, and over 1.1 hectares of aquaculture.

By Tamilla Hasanova