A local farmer was killed by a lightning strike in Ha Giang Province, northern Vietnam, while another lightning strike also caused a blackout for 1,210 homes in neighboring Lao Cai Province.

Reports from local authorities showed that heavy downpours accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning have taken a heavy toll on these two mountainous provinces over the past few days.

In Ha Giang, extreme weather conditions between Monday night and Wednesday morning claimed the lives of two residents and caused damage worth over VND800 million (US$31,400) to the properties of state-run agencies and local residents.

The 32-year-old who died during the lightning strike was a farmer from Quan Ba District, struck while working in a paddy field at night.

Meanwhile, a 14-year-old boy in Dong Van District was killed by a boulder which rolled down a mountain and crushed his house.

Lightning also struck a school in Yen Minh District, sparking a fire which destroyed six rooms and all the facilities inside, with total damage of an estimated VND530 million ($20,700).

Extreme precipitation with thunder and lightning left eight buffalo and 50 chickens dead while destroying more than five hectares of plants.

In Lao Cai, two were reported missing in Bat Xat District due to torrential rain and flooding, according to the provincial steering committee for natural disaster prevention and control.

At around 5:30 am on Wednesday, Ly Thi N., aged 30, and her two-year-old child Ly Bao N. went to check her fish pond and are suspected to have been swept away by water due to the pond’s bank failure.

Authorities dispatched 250 rescuers to search for those who went missing but the duo remained unaccounted for by 4:00 pm the same day.

A lightning strike during a downpour between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning in Bat Xat led to 1,210 homes losing power.

The poor weather conditions also caused flooding and land subsidence to at least five homes and seven aquaculture ponds in Bat Xat.

The national weather agency forecast that heavy downpours could continue in northern Vietnam and the north-central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An between Thursday and Sunday, with rainfall of 20-50mm.

Vu Anh Tuan, deputy head of the weather forecasting department under the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, said that a low-pressure trough passing through the northern region may continue to exist, but a cold front will likely weaken and move eastward, resulting in reduced rainfall in the near future.

Despite a possible reduction in precipitation, residents of the northern region should be alert to the possibility of lightning strikes, thunderstorms, and hail on Thursday.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!