Flooding in Vietnam kills 55, leaves 13 missing, and cuts power to 300,000 as rescuers search for survivors in hardest-hit Dak Lak province.
HANOI: Rescuers raced to find more than a dozen missing people on Saturday after a week of heavy flooding in Vietnam.
Authorities confirmed at least 55 people have died from relentless rain lashing south-central Vietnam since late October.
Popular holiday destinations have been hit by several rounds of flooding, with whole city blocks inundated in coastal Nha Trang.
Deadly landslides also struck highland passes around the Da Lat tourist hub.
The environment ministry said 55 people have been killed across six provinces since Sunday.
The search continues for 13 others still missing from the disaster.
Mountainous Dak Lak province was the hardest hit with more than two dozen fatalities.
Rescuers were still plucking people from treetops and the roofs of homes as floodwaters receded there on Friday.
Multiple highways remained impassable on Saturday and 300,000 people were without power.
The blackout initially affected more than a million residents, the environment ministry added.
Natural disasters have left 279 people dead or missing in Vietnam between January and October.
They have caused more than $2 billion in damage during that period, according to the national statistics office.
The Southeast Asian nation is prone to heavy rain between June and September.
Scientists have identified a pattern of human-driven climate change making extreme weather more frequent and destructive. – AFP
