Hundreds of people dead, missing as downpours prolong in Central region

The Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control held this morning an urgent meeting to carry out searching and rescue missions at Rao Trang 3 hydropower plant landslide in Thua Thien- Hue Province as well as verify, approach the landslide site at the Defense Economics Division 337 under the Military Region 4 of the Vietnam People's Army. 
The station of the Defense Economics Division 337 where a landslide has just happened
The station of the Defense Economics Division 337 where a landslide has just happened

By the morning of October 18, missing toll in two recent landslides rose to 28, including 22 soldiers of the Defense Economics Division 337. 

Statistics showed that the death toll and missing in heavy rains, flooding and massive landslides from October 6 to 18 was up to 130. Of which, at least 64 people have lost their lives and five went missing in Quang Tri and Hue due to landslides, triggered by heavy rains. 

As of Saturday afternoon, torrential rains poured down the North- Central region, notably Quang Tri and Thua Thien- Hue provinces.

Floodwater has inundated many localities because local hydropower reservoirs began discharging water. 

According to the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, extreme rainfalls of 400 to 700 mm will continue in the most parts of Central Vietnam, particularly Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Nghe An, Thua Thien- Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Phu Yen from October 18-21. 

On this morning, the National Center for Hydro-meteorology Forecasting provided an urgent notice about rising water level of over alarm level 3 in the North-Central region’s large rivers, even reaching a record of 1.39 meters in Thach Han River which exceeds the water line in the historical flood in 1999.

It is expected that the mid- Central and south- Central regions would continue experiencing long-lasting torrential downpours. 

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