41 dead, thousands stranded as floods swamp central Vietnam

International

HOMES are submerged, roads are washed away, and families are trapped.

At least 41 people have died in central Vietnam as relentless rains continue to batter the region, leaving thousands without power, according to state media.

Nine others remain missing.

In a report by BBC, the floods have affected more than 52,000 homes and cut electricity to around half a million households and businesses.

Tens of thousands of residents have been evacuated from the hardest-hit areas as rainfall continues unabated.

In some regions, rainfall has exceeded 1.5 meters over the past three days, surpassing the 1993 flood peak of 5.2 meters in certain areas. Authorities warn that heavy rain is expected to continue at least until Sunday.

The coastal cities of Hoi An and Nha Trang, along with Vietnam’s central highlands—the country’s main coffee-growing belt—are among the worst affected.

In Dak Lak province, Vietnam’s largest robusta coffee-producing region, tens of thousands of homes are underwater. Farmers are struggling after earlier storms disrupted the harvest. Vietnam is one of the world’s largest exporters of robusta coffee, widely used in instant coffee and some espresso blends.

In Nha Trang, floodwaters have submerged businesses and restaurants, causing severe damage to furniture and equipment and leaving owners waiting helplessly for waters to recede.

Military troops and police have been deployed to provide emergency shelter and relocate residents.

A state of emergency has been declared in several provinces after landslides damaged major roads and highways. Traffic was halted when part of the Mimosa Pass, a key route into the tourist city of Da Lat, collapsed into a ravine, narrowly missing a bus, AFP reported.

Local media have shared images of residents stranded on rooftops, while videos show a suspension bridge in Lam Dong province torn from its anchors.

This flooding follows a series of extreme weather events. Earlier in November, Typhoon Kalmaegi killed at least five people along the central coast, uprooting trees and damaging homes. The same typhoon had previously killed 188 people in the Philippines. In September, Typhoon Bualoi struck central and northern Vietnam, killing at least 11 people with winds of up to 117 km/h (73 mph).

Vietnamese authorities estimate that natural disasters from January to October this year caused $2 billion (£1.5 billion) in damages.

Experts say climate change is making typhoons stronger and more frequent, worsening extreme weather impacts.(MyTVCebu)