Rescuers in Vietnam.

-

Nguyen Van Ty / AP

At least 111 people have died and 20 others are missing in central Vietnam after floods and landslides for more than two weeks.

Some 178,000 homes have been submerged and rescuers are making every effort to bring food and clean water to people cut off from the world.

Roads, infrastructure and crops in the central region of the country have also been devastated by the floods.

Hundreds of thousands of people will need shelter and financial support in the coming weeks.

The floods are "among the worst suffered in decades," said Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu of the Vietnamese Red Cross.

Vietnam battling worst floods for decades with more than 100 people dead and almost 180,000 homes submerged, says Red Cross https://t.co/Eu9rNXOXAO

- BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) October 20, 2020

A storm coming

Vietnamese disaster management officials say at least 111 people have been killed and nearly 200,000 evacuated.

Among the dead were 22 soldiers caught in a massive landslide in Quang Tri province on Sunday as well as 13 members of a rescue team trying to save workers at a hydroelectric power station.

A search team is still trying to find fifteen missing workers at the plant.

Although the waters receded in some places, official media images showed villages still submerged and a completely flooded hospital in Quang Binh, with the beds bathing in the water.

The region is expected to experience further rains next weekend with the arrival of Storm Saudel from the South China Sea.

Cambodia also affected

Vietnam frequently faces very difficult weather conditions during the rainy season, between June and November, with the central coast regions being the most vulnerable.

Last year, 132 people died or went missing due to natural disasters in Vietnam, according to the General Bureau of Statistics.

Neighboring Cambodia was also severely affected, particularly the northwest of the country.

The death toll climbed to 34 dead on Wednesday with more than 400,000 people affected by the floods, Prime Minister Hun Sen said.

The province of Banteay Meanchey (North West) has experienced its worst floods in 70 years, he added.

World

India torrential rains kill at least 30 people in southern India

World

Sudan: Floods killed 89, new report found

  • Asia

  • World

  • Natural disaster

  • Vietnam

  • Flood