The Central Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control said that reports from authorities in the two provinces showed that by 2pm on August 3, 15 people have died in Yen Bai and three in Son La while nine others remained missing in Son La.
According to Tran The Hung, director of Yen Bai Province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the flash floods triggered by torrential rains over the past few days had swept away or totally damaged dozens of local houses on August 2 evening and early August 3 morning.
It Ong Town in Son La District ravaged by the flash floods on August 3.
Son La Province’s Muong La District has also reported three deaths and five missings. Up to 44 local houses have been swept away. To date, around ten communes of the district have still been isolated by the flooding.
Son La Province authorities have instructed to evacuate many households in Muong La District to safe places and to take measures to prevent the possible risks.
Torrential rains have also ravaged Dien Bien Province, isolating many local communes and resulting in serous erosion in many roads.
Mu Cang Chai District after torrential rains over the past few days
The northern region is forecasted to have rains and rainstorm from now on to August 6, the Centre for Hydrometeorology Forecast Central forecasted.
Last year, natural disasters such as floods and tropical storms killed 264 people in Vietnam, bring about about a damage of roughly VND40 trillion (USD1.75 billion) for the country, five times higher than that of 2015.
Flash floods in Mu Cang Chai District, Yen Bai Province on August 3.