At least 40 people have been killed while 22 remain missing after heavy rains and floods swept through north-central and northern Vietnam.

Among the deceased, 15 were from Hoa Binh Province, five from Son La Province, four from Yen Bai Province, eight from Thanh Hoa Province, and eight from Nghe An Province.

Twenty-two people are still missing and 21 injuries have been reported in the wake of the floods.

Two hundred and seventeen houses were swept away by floodwaters while 1,059 were severely damaged by winds and water.

Subsidence caused by floods in Yen Bai Province. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Nguyen Van Thang, head of the office of the People’s Committee in Hoa Binh, confirmed on Thursday that rescuers have so far recovered six bodies from a landslide in Khanh Village, Tan Lac District.

Initial reports indicated that the mudslide occurred at around 1:00 am Thursday morning, crushing four houses and their 18 occupants.

The situation became even more perilous as rising floodwaters isolated several other residential areas in the province.

The aftermath of a landslide that buried 18 people in Khanh Village in the northern province of Hoa Binh on October 12, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre

In Nghia Lo Commune, Yen Bai Province, flooding on Wednesday morning inundated 24 neighborhoods and villages, washing away 11 homes in the process.

Nguyen Thi Hoan, a resident who lost her home to the disaster, said fast rising water and strong currents left her and her family helpless.

“We had no time to react. My oldest son was swept away by the floodwater,” Hoan recalled.

An inundated street in Thanh Son Town in the northern province of Phu Tho. Photo: Tuoi Tre

During a meeting on Wednesday evening, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung ordered local authorities to exert their full efforts in locating missing residents, providing assistance for flood victims and evacuating residents in dangerous areas.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong has requested that prompt weather forecasts be made to inform the affected localities of harsh weather and facilitate necessary preparations. 

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