Landslides leave 3 dead, 5 missing in northern Vietnam after storm Prapiroon

Mai Son District has experienced continuous heavy rain since Tuesday, with floodwater pouring down from the mountains into residential areas.

District leaders reported that as of 11 a.m. Wednesday, three local people have been confirmed dead, and four others are missing as landslides ravaged their homes.

“The damage from the floods is extensive, and the numbers [of dead and missing persons] will constantly change,” said a district official.

Another woman also went missing amid flooding in Thuan Chau District.

In Son La City, the capital of Son La’s Province, main roads turned into torrents last night, flooding into houses.

The city has dispatched rescue teams to each house, assisting in evacuating people and property.

In Hoa Binh Province that borders Son La, Provincial Road 433 leading to Da Bac District has numerous landslides, causing traffic paralysis.

Authorities are mobilizing several excavators to clear the only access road to this mountainous district as soon as possible.

Prapiroon delved into a tropical depression on Tuesday morning when it made landfall in Quang Ninh Province. The depression dissolved in the afternoon.

Its impact caused heavy rains to the entire northern region, including Hanoi.

In 12 hours until 7 a.m. on Wednesday, rain volume was recorded at 120-190 mm in many areas of the north.

In Xuan Mai Town in Hanoi’s outlying district of Chuong My, rainfall was recorded at 330 mm, causing floods and forcing people to evacuate on Tuesday night.