A report from the Tam Dao District People's Committee said that the area saw intense rain from May 22-24, which has caused several dams to break, inundating many houses in Hop Chau Town and the communes of Ho Son, Dai Dinh, and Minh Quang.
"More than 20 kilometres of roads in the area were deeply submerged or blocked by landslides," the report said. "Over 170 hectares of fruit trees, vegetables, and rice have been damaged. The total losses are estimated at about VND3 billion.
In an inspection of some flooded sites in Hop Chau Town on May 25, the chairman of Tam Dao District People's Committee Dinh Van Muoi asked local authorities to take urgent measures to curb the flooding and ensure safety for local residents.
Chairman of Tam Dao District People's Committee Dinh Van Muoi (second from left) directs the rescue work on May 25
According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the total rainfall recorded in the past four days in Tam Dao reached 808mm. On May 23 alone, the rainfall reached 464mm which was the highest level recorded since 1962.
The centre said that the northern and northern central regions have experienced rare rainy weather in May with strangely high rainfall.
Heavy rain has affected areas of Vinh Phuc, Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Yen Bai, Lao Cai, Thai Nguyen, Phu Tho, Hoa Binh, Dien Bien, Cao Bang, and Hanoi. In total, 317 houses have been damaged along with 19,000 hectares of crops.
Two people died in a landslide in Tuyen Quang where 4 people were also injured and several houses collapsed. A third fatality was reported in Hoa Binh where a person drowned in floodwaters.