Heavy rains to lash central provinces

According to the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, a low-pressure area was formed over the East Sea and has developed into a tropical depression.

At 7 a.m. on Thursday it lay centered 180km north of Song Tu Tay Island with winds of 39-49 kph. It is moving westward at 10 kph.

There were showers and thunderstorms with strong winds over the sea, including to the north of Truong Sa (Spratly Islands).

From Thursday night it will bring heavy rains between Quang Binh and Khanh Hoa provinces and the Central Highlands. The area is home to popular resort towns Hoi An, Nha Trang and Da Lat.

Rains of 200-500 mm are expected, rising to over 600 mm in some places.

Mountainous areas are at risk of flash floods and landslides.

Earlier, on Sunday night, the northeast monsoon swept into the central region, bringing heavy rains to Quang Tri, Phu Yen, Binh Thuan, Quang Nam, and Quang Ngai provinces.

The average rainfall was 350-500 mm, but some places like Tam Lanh and Tam Tra in Quang Nam and Son Ky and Tra Hiep in Quang Ngai received up to 700 mm.

Heavy rains in recent days have flooded thousands of houses in Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh.

Highway 1 and many roads were flooded, disrupting traffic.

Two people have died and one person is missing following a landslide near a hydroelectric plant.

But by Wednesday morning the waters had receded and locals and rescue workers are clearing mud from houses and schools.