At least 90 people have lost their lives and 12 remain missing after relentless floods struck central Vietnam this week, according to the country’s disaster management authorities. Torrential rains triggered widespread flooding across central provinces and the Central Highlands, leaving behind massive destruction and economic losses estimated at more than $341 million, VnExpress reported.
Dak Lak province has suffered the heaviest toll, recording 63 fatalities. In Khanh Hoa, home to the coastal city of Nha Trang, 14 people have died, while Lam Dong has reported five victims. Gia Lai has confirmed three deaths, and the provinces of Hue, Da Nang, and Quang Tri have also recorded casualties.
The flooding has caused extensive damage to infrastructure, submerging or destroying more than 1,100 homes and cutting off transportation routes throughout the region. Major highways and rural roads remain impassable due to deep waters and multiple landslides.
Power outages have compounded the crisis. At the height of the disaster, roughly 1.2 million households were left without electricity. As of Sunday, 257,000 homes were still in the dark, leading to widespread mobile network and internet disruptions.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has called for stronger and more coordinated efforts to address the ongoing emergency and the increasing frequency of severe natural disasters in the country’s central provinces. The government has already allocated 700 billion Vietnamese Dong (about $26.6 million) in emergency aid to support the affected regions.
Authorities have deployed military and police forces to assist with rescue and recovery operations. They also reported catastrophic losses in agriculture, with an estimated 3.24 million livestock and poultry perishing or being swept away by the floods.
Central Vietnam continues to face significant challenges as communities struggle to recover from one of the most destructive flooding events in recent years.
