Death toll rises to 11 in northern Vietnam floods

HANOI: The death toll rose to 11 in record floods in northern Vietnam, with at least six people still missing, authorities said Tuesday.
The latest victims include a mother and son whose house collapsed and buried them, according to Quang Ninh provincial department of agriculture.
"The possibility to find the six alive is very small," said Nguyen Duc Long, chairman of the province.
Floods triggered by heavy rains have damaged nearly 3,000 houses, and thousands of people have fled to safety, authorities said.
On Monday, the province received more than 100 millimetres of rain, bringing the average rainfall in the past three days to more than 500 millimetres, the most in the past 40 years.
More than 1,500 tourists are stranded by heavy rains on Vietnam's Co To Island, a popular destination. Rough seas and strong winds prevented them from returning to the mainland, as no boats were allowed to operate during the severe weather.
Total damage was estimated at about US$20 million (RM76 million), authorities said. – dpa