...

Typhoon Kai-Tak leaves 27 dead, two missing in Vietnam

Other News Materials 20 August 2012 10:39 (UTC +04:00)
At least 27 people were killed and two missing after Tropical Storm Kai-Tak hit northern Vietnam, authorities said Monday, reported dpa.
Typhoon Kai-Tak leaves 27 dead, two missing in Vietnam

At least 27 people were killed and two missing after Tropical Storm Kai-Tak hit northern Vietnam, authorities said Monday, reported dpa.

Most victims were killed by floods and landslides on Saturday and Sunday, the National Committee for Search and Rescue said.

The storm lashed the northern provinces from Friday, damaging about 12,000 houses and flooding 23,000 hectares of rice and other crops, the Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Center said.

The storm had weakened and was dissipating, but heavy rains would continue for several days, it said.

Up to 300 millimetres of rain had fallen on mountainous northern regions since Friday. Authorities issued threat warnings.

Many roads were blocked by landslides and fallen trees. In Hanoi, a taxi driver was killed when a tree fell on his cab, causing heavy congestion for several hours late Friday, city police said.

A policeman was swept away and killed while trying to rescue people, the National Committee for Search and Rescue said. The Committee estimated the cost of damage at 2 million dollars.

Disasters from the annual heavy rains have killed an average of 750 people in each of the past 10 years and incurred costs equivalent to 1.5 per cent of gross domestic product per year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Latest

Latest