HANOI, Oct 29 — Floods triggered by record heavy rains have killed at least nine people and left five others missing in central Vietnam.
In a statement today, the government said that six of the fatalities were in Đà Nẵng, home to one of the country's most popular beaches, and the ancient town of Hội An.
In a separate report, its disaster agency said that the floods have also inundated more than 103,000 houses, mostly in the country's top tourist sites of Huế and Hội An.
Vietnam is prone to often deadly storms and flooding that cause widespread property damage, especially during the storm season from June until October.
Heavy rains continue to lash the Unesco-listed former imperial capital Hue and the ancient town of Hội An, after rainfall in the area hit a record high in the 24 hours ending late on Monday (October 27), exceeding 1,000 millimetres.
Photos circulating on state media showed that much of Hoi An remained inundated by floodwater, with several houses submerged up to their roofs.
In Huế, 32 out of 40 communes had been hit by flood waters up to 1-2 metres deep.
In nearby Đà Nẵng, water in most of its reservoirs has reached the maximum depth, while water levels in its rivers have continued to rise.
"Widespread flooding continues in low-lying areas along rivers and in urban areas, with high risks of flash floods and landslides in mountainous areas of Danang," said the government.
The disaster agency noted that landslides have occurred in several areas, cutting off traffic and knocking down power lines, with Vietnam's state-run railway firm unable to resume services between the capital Hanoi and the business hub Hồ Chí Minh City, following a suspension yesterday.
Heavy rain will continue in central Vietnam over the next two days, with rainfall in some areas staying above 400mm from early today until late tomorrow, according to the government's weather forecast agency.
