 Flood waters have now stabilised |
At least 15 people have been killed and four are missing in floods that have swept central Vietnam in the last two days, according to officials. The floods, which have been caused by several days of torrential rain, isolated several villages and caused the collapse of a number of houses in Ninh Thuan province and a gold mine in the central province of Quang Nam.
Local authorities have called for the army to help in reinforcing river banks and evacuating people.
Local traders said the floods have also halted coffee harvesting in the central highland provinces, which produce about 70% of Vietnam's total coffee output.
Most of the deaths came from a gold mine collapse in Quang Nam.
Deaths were also reported in the central coastal provinces of Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa, home to the beach resort of Nha Trang, as torrential rains on Wednesday and Thursday drenched a stretch of 580 km (360 miles).
"The rains stopped by Friday and flood waters are stabilising but cars and trains cannot get through," a disaster management official in Ninh Thuan told Reuters news agency.
The same area was hit by floods last month, which killed 38 people and damaged thousands of houses.
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