82 dead in Vietnam floods

Waters still receding, death toll could go higher

HANOI, Vietnam - The death toll from northern Vietnam’s floods and landslides rose to 82 after 20 more bodies were recovered, officials said Sunday. Seven more bodies were recovered in the worst-hit province of Lao Cai, bringing the death toll there to 32, said disaster official Pham Van Toan. Four more bodies were discovered in the neighboring Yen Bai province and one more body was found in Phu Tho, officials said.Flash floods and landslides have also claimed at least eight lives in Ha Giang province, raising the overall death toll to 82, said provincial disaster official Hoang Manh Hung.Another 37 people were reported missing.“The water is receding but very slowly,” said official Luong Tuan Anh of Yen Bai province, where 29 people died. “Many villages remain unreachable by car.”“We expect the death toll to rise because rescue workers have just begun to reach affected areas, where communication was very limited.Rampaging waters have also knocked down trees, electricity pylons and washed away houses. Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate to higher ground.
Vietnam is prone to floods and storms that kill hundreds of people each year.