In Hanoi, the rising Red River has led to the evacuation of hundreds of people. It is at the highest level since 2004, noted Mai Van Khiem, director of the national weather forecasting center. “I didn't think the water would rise so fast […]. This is the worst flood I have seen with my own eyes,” said Nguyen Tran Van, who has lived near the banks of the river in the Vietnamese capital for 15 years. “If the water had risen a little higher, it would have been very difficult for us to leave,” said the 41-year-old office worker, who was able to store her furniture upstairs to keep it dry.
145 missing in Vietnam
In the mountainous Lao Cai province, landslides swept away the entire village of Lang Nu, leaving at least 30 dead and 65 missing, according to Vietnamese state media. The latter broadcast dramatic images of the mudslide, also showing villagers tending to their dead, some wrapped in cloths, others lying in makeshift coffins, as police continued to search for victims in the mud.
According to state media, the latest toll is 179 dead and 145 missing in Vietnam, which has suffered its worst storm in 30 years. Less than three kilometers from downtown Hanoi, people walked in chest-deep water while others cobbled together makeshift boats to get around.
16 provinces and cities remained under the threat of landslides and flash floods on Wednesday, although several state media outlets reported that water had begun to recede in some mountainous areas and was expected to begin receding next night in the capital . The US Embassy in Hanoi pledged $1 million in immediate humanitarian aid.
Regional impact
In northern Thailand, a relief operation is underway to help 9,000 families stranded by rising waters, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said. Two people died in a landslide in northern Chiang Mai province and two others died under unspecified circumstances in northern Chiang Rai province.
In neighboring Laos, state media reported at least one death from flooding. Flooding also affected homes and shops in Luang Prabang, a city classified by Unesco as a world heritage site, the Lao Post said.
In neighboring Luang Namtha province, an evacuation operation involved 300 residents from 17 different villages. “I think it will take two more days before they can go home,” said Sivilai Pankaew, the district's deputy chief.
“Very concerned”
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) said it was “deeply concerned” for people in northern Laos, where national radio reported severe damage. In Burma, rains caused significant flooding in Tachileik (east), a town bordering Thailand, disrupting telephone communications, local media and witnesses said.
The capital Naypyidaw saw waters rise to dangerous levels, the Burmese junta said in a statement, without giving details of casualties or damage. Flooding in Taktone, near Naypyidaw, “is very serious” and people have been swept away, rescuer Kyaw Thu Ya told AFP.