At Least 41 Dead As Relentless Rains Flood Vietnam 45 Minutes Ago Kelly Ng

Watch: Rescuers wade through deadly floodwaters in Vietnam
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. Tens of thousands of residents have been evacuated from the flood-affected regions.

Rainfall has 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.

Getty Images
The coastal cities of Hoi An and Nha Trang are among the worst-hit by the recent rains and flooding
Natural disasters in Vietnam have wreaked damage amounting to $2bn (£1.5bn) between January and 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.

In the province of Dak Lak, the country’s biggest coffee growing region, tens of thousands of homes were submerged, according to state news outlet Tuoi Tre.

Vietnam is one of the largest exporters of robusta, the bitter tasting bean used in instant coffee and some espresso blends.

Weather conditions in the region are set to last through at least Sunday, according to authorities. Military troops and police officers have been deployed to set up emergency shelters to relocate people to safety.

BBC