Floods in Vietnam

Deadly floods in Vietnam force 80,000 from homes

At least 28 people killed since Friday and 100,000 houses submerged after tropical depression caused heavy rains

The Guardian,

17 November, 2013

Flooding in Vietnam has killed at least 28 people since Friday, with nine others missing and nearly 80,000 displaced, state media and government reports said, after a tropical depression brought heavy rains across central areas of the country.

In Quang Ngai province, where nine people were killed and four were missing, floodwaters rose above a previous peak measured in 1999, submerging many houses, the official Thanh Nien newspaper reported.

Floodwaters rose quickly after 15 hydroelectric power plants in the region opened their sluice gates to release water in reservoir protection, the newspaper reported.

Around 100,000 houses were submerged and nearly 80,000 people were evacuated, the government-run committee on floods and storm protection said. Roads have been closed and some national train services cancelled.

The central region suffers frequent storms between July and October, often causing flooding.

Rain since Friday disrupted the coffee harvest and bean drying in central highland provinces, delaying the bean flow to sea ports. Vietnam is the world's top producer of robusta coffee, accounting for about 17% of the market.

More rain was forecast in the coffee-growing region on Sunday, state forecasters said.