By Xinhua
Hanoi : Floods and landslides sparked by torrential rain in Vietnam’s northern and central regions have killed at least 33 people since Oct 4, media reported Saturday.
Central Nghe An province reported eight dead and 14 missing, northern Thanh Hoa province six dead, and northern Yen Bai province one dead and one missing, said Vietnam’s Central Television.
Meanwhile, northern Son La province had 10 dead and the northern provinces of Hoa Binh and Ninh Binh reported seven and one people dead respectively, said Vietnam News Agency.
Tens of thousands of houses have been damaged, hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops submerged and power and telecommunication systems have been disrupted in some areas.
The country has mobilised soldiers and more equipment for flood relief operations.
Natural calamities including typhoons and hails have killed 339 people, left 274 people missing in Vietnam in 2006. The estimated losses totalled $1.2 billion.