In a tragic turn of events, relentless heavy rains brought on by tropical storm Wipha have unleashed severe flooding across Vietnam’s central Nghe An province, claiming the lives of at least three individuals and leaving one person missing.
Owing to its long and vulnerable coastline along the South China Sea, Vietnam frequently finds itself in the path of powerful typhoons, which often lead to devastating floods and landslides, claiming lives and damaging infrastructure. Tropical storm Wipha marks the first major weather system to strike the country this year, bringing with it significant rainfall and widespread disruption.
Wipha made landfall in Vietnam on Tuesday, after battering Hong Kong and China and worsening monsoon rains and flooding in the Philippines.
Hundreds Of Properties Damaged
According to a report by the Kinh Te Moi Truong newspaper, which cited details from the People’s Committee of Nghe An province, one of the victims tragically lost their life after being buried under a landslide, while another was swept away by powerful floodwaters caused by the strong current.
More than 3,700 houses in the province have been inundated by flood waters, and another 459 were damaged by strong winds, according to the report.
Photos on state media show homes in villages in the province submerged to the roofs.
‘We Have Nothing Left’
“Our rice, our clothing and our money are all gone,” Dang Thi Ngoc, a local flood victim, told state broadcaster VTV. “We have nothing left except for our bare hands.”
Flood waters have also damaged 1,600 hectares of rice plantations and 1,290 hectares of cash crops in the province, the report said.
The government’s official weather forecasting agency has warned that several northern regions of Vietnam are likely to witness continuous heavy rainfall, with precipitation levels expected to reach up to 250 millimetres on Thursday and Friday.
The downpour may persist into Saturday, significantly increasing the risk of further flooding, landslides, and disruption to daily life, especially in low-lying and mountainous areas already affected by tropical storm Wipha.
(With inputs from Reuters)
