Heavy rainfall pounded central Vietnam on Monday, unleashing landslides and floods that left at least seven people dead, injured dozens more and stranded thousands across multiple provinces.
The region, still reeling from record flooding and the destructive passage of Typhoon Kalmaegi only weeks earlier, has again been plunged into crisis as authorities race to reach isolated communities.
Meteorologists warned that rainfall between Monday and Wednesday could reach up to 60 centimeters in several central provinces, with the hardest hit areas potentially surpassing 85 centimeters. Local officials have described the scale of the deluge as the worst in years.
In Khanh Hoa province, the combination of saturated hillsides and relentless downpours triggered a deadly landslide late Sunday night along the Khanh Le pass in the central highlands. Earth and boulders cascaded onto a passenger bus at around 9.30 p.m. local time, crushing the front section of the vehicle.
Six people were killed instantly, while many others were left trapped in the wreckage.
Emergency crews battled through the night to reach survivors, but rescue operations were hampered by additional landslides that had cut off access on both sides of the pass.
State media reported that dozens of injured passengers were eventually evacuated to nearby hospitals once routes were temporarily cleared.
Elsewhere in the region, authorities evacuated families from low lying areas as rivers broke their banks and floodwaters inundated homes, schools and roads. Thousands of travellers have been stranded after major highways were blocked by debris or submerged by rising waters.
Government agencies have been placed on high alert, with disaster response teams deployed across central Vietnam. Officials have urged residents in mountainous areas to remain vigilant as the risk of further landslides remains high amid continuing rainfall.
