A deadly flashflood followed by rockslides occurred in a district in northern Lai Chau province yesterday, killing three people, including a pregnant woman, and causing damage estimated at nearly US$1 million.

>> Hailstorm occurs in HCMC, downpours to hit north The incidents occurred in Phong Tho District early Wednesday morning after torrential rains, with totals of up to 120 mm, hit the district for hours. Vang Phu Dau, a 58-year-old man in Ban Lang commune, died after being buried in soil and rock that fell from a mountain while he was sleeping in a shack in a mountain field.  Tan Sa Sam, 36, of the same commune, was swept away by the flashflood when she was in sleeping in another shack. Her body has not been found.  Meanwhile, Pham Thi Thu, 26, a teacher at a primary school in Sin Chai village, was found buried in the debris of her house that had collapsed during a rockslide. The teacher, who was three months pregnant, was taken to a local hospital, but she later succumbed to her severe injuries.  The flashflood and landslides also destroyed hundreds of hectares of rice and other crops, swept away and killed livestock, destroyed numerous houses, and flooded or damaged many roads.      Local authorities have evacuated a dozens of families in dangerous areas to safe places. Total damage caused by the disaster by yesterday evening was estimated at more than VND21 billion (over $990,000). The provincial Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control has sent staff to the district to assess the damage and help affected residents in the aftermath of the disaster.  As previously reported, the center on Tuesday warned that medium and heavy rains would occur in northern Vietnam from September 4, possibly together with whirlwinds and thunderstorms, as a result of a low pressure system meeting a cold front. The same rainy weather will be seen in north-central provinces and is likely to last for two to three days, and flashflood and landslides are likely occur in mountainous areas, the center warned.