The on-going flood has caused 35 deaths and left 21 missing in central Vietnam just as super typhoon Megi is forecast to strike the region.
Hungry and waiting for relief
The missing includes 19 in the bus accident which happened at 3:00 a.m on October 18 in Nghi Xuan District, Ha Tinh Province.
Ha Tinh has recorded the highest number of fatalities with 15, followed by Nghe An with 13 and Quang Binh with 7.
The deluge has sunk 199,998 houses in central provinces. By 5pm on October 18, Ha Tinh had 183 communes underwater and the number in Nghe An and Quang Binh was 113 and 25 respectively.
Total losses are estimated to be in the thousands of billions of VND.
As of the late afternoon of October 18, rescue forces found a passenger missing after a bus accident, while the remaining19 are still unaccounted for.
Typhoon Megi coming closer to central Vietnam
Meanwhile, as people in central provinces are fighting with the deadly flood, super storm Megi is approaching Vietnam and is forecast to affect the central region.
The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said the eye of the storm is expected to be about 400km east of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelago by 4am on October 20. Wind gusts are expected to reach 150-166kph. As a result, the Vietnamese coastline will be hit by strong wind and heavy sea movements.
High Command of the Border Guard has issued the storm information so that 60,551 boats and ships can come back to the shore safely.
Flood water blocks North-South trains
Nguyen Huu Tuyen, Head of Vietnam Railway Corporation\'s Transport Business Department said, “Heavy rains in the central region have obstructed the operation of trains running from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City or the North-South route. Section from Vinh City in Nghe An Province to Dong Hoi City in Quang Binh Province were put underwater and many rail tracks were even swept away.
As of October 17, 12 passenger trains were forced to stop at Vinh and Dong Hoi stations. As many as 4,480 passengers were stranded at central stations and have been transported by car.
Vietnam Airlines said it had cancelled 30 flights from Vinh Airport to Chu Lai Airport (in Quang Nam Province) between October 15 and 18 to ensure the safety of passengers.
Many roads in Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh as well as the Ho Chi Minh Highway are severely inundated.
Roads submerged deep in water
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