Floods kill 14 in central Vietnam
HANOI - Floods triggered by heavy
rains have killed 14 people in central Vietnam this week
and disrupted road, rail and air links, local officials and
residents said on Friday.
They said the situation was improving in the provinces of
Khanh Hoa and Binh Dinh, which have been lashed by
heavy rains since Sunday.
The provinces do not produce any of Vietnam's major
export crops and officials said the rains were not directly
linked to recent typhoons battering other parts of Asia.
An official in Khanh Hoa province said the main
north-south artery Highway One and the national railway
line were cut by floodwaters on Thursday.
``All flights to the province were cancelled on
Wednesday,'' she said, adding that six people had died
and one was still missing after floodwaters destroyed
dozens of houses.
Transportation through the province had resumed on
Friday, she said.
Flooding also hit Binh Dinh province, north of Khanh
Hoa, and eight people had drowned this week, a local
official said by telephone.
The official Hanoi Moi (New Hanoi) daily on Friday said
4,370 houses collapsed in Binh Dinh and many river and
sea dykes were destroyed. The daily put total material
losses at 21 billion dong ($1.5 million).
The Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper also
reported flooding in central Quang Ngai province. It
quoted weather forecasters as saying heavy rain would
continue falling on parts of central Vietnam.
Reuters - October 23, 1998.
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