Gale-force winds, accompanied by heavy rainfall, have lashed a province in southern Vietnam, damaging dozens of households.

The extreme climatic event, lasting for over an hour in Hong Ngu District and Hong Ngu Town, Dong Thap on Thursday evening, struck 45 local dwellings and caused some to collapse while a few others had their roofs bent or blown away, local officials said.

The People’s Committee of Thuong Thoi Hau A Commune, Hong Ngu District, cited a preliminary report that eight houses had their roofs completely lifted while 20 dwellings had their ceilings half-blown as squalls swept through the area.

Squalls lifted up a roof of a house in Hong Ngu Town, Dong Thap Province. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The gust also lifted a ceiling joist of a nearby building and damaged the dwelling of Truong Thi Phan, 85, a local resident, local officials said, adding that the woman was fine.

In Thuong Phuoc 1 Commune, Hong Ngu District, the storm knocked down a house, tore roofs off two houses, bent the ceilings of 13 houses, and caused a regional blackout for hours.

Le Van Hau, a dweller in the commune, said that his neighbors and he were extremely frightened as “roofs were being thrown around by vicious gusts, with some ending up hanging on power lines.”

A dwelling in Hong Ngu District had its roof torn apart by strong winds, leaving only the frame of its ceiling. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Many residents’ properties were also damaged by the climatic phenomenon, local officials reported. 

Strong winds also hit and destroyed 12 houses in Binh Thanh Commune and An Lac Ward, Hong Ngu Town, according to official reports.

Local authorities have arrived at the locations hit by the disaster and dispatched groups to assist residents in repairing houses.

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