At least 41 dead as relentless rains flood Vietnam

By Kelly Ng, BBC News, Nov 21: Relentless rains and floods have killed at least 41 people in central Vietnam since the weekend, while a search continues for nine still missing, state media reports.

The deluge has submerged more than 52,000 homes and left half a million households and businesses without power, according to reports.

Rainfall exceeded 1.5m (5ft) in several areas over the past three days, even rising beyond the 1993 flood peak of 5.2m in some parts.

Extreme weather has battered Vietnam in recent months. Two typhoons, Kalmaegi and Bualoi, left a trail of deaths and destruction within weeks of each other.

Natural disasters in Vietnam have wreaked damage amounting to $2bn (£1.5bn) between January to October this year, according to government estimates.

The areas worst-hit by the latest rainfall include the coastal cities of Hoi An and Nha Trang, as well as a key coffee production belt in the central highlands - where farmers are already reeling from a stalled harvest because of the earlier storms.

Photographs published by local media show people stranded on roofs as floodwaters creep into their homes, while a video circulating online shows a suspension bridge in Lam Dong province getting torn off its anchors.

The province has declared a state of emergency after landslides damaged major roads and highways.

Traffic was completely halted after part of the Mimosa Pass, a key entry route into the popular tourist city of Da Lat, collapsed into a ravine, while a bus narrowly avoided falling into the gap, news agency AFP reported.

Tens of thousands of residents have been evacuated across the flood-affected regions. Military toops and police officers have been deployed to set up emergency shelters to relocate people to safety.

A restaurant owner in Nha Trang told AFP that his shops were submerged by about a metre of water.

"I am worried about our furniture in my restaurants and shops, but of course I cannot do anything now," said Bui Quoc Vinh.

"I don't think the water is going to recede soon, as the rain has not stopped."

Authorities have warned of moderate to heavy downpours in central Vietnam through Sunday at least.