According to initial reports by Vietnam’s National Steering Committee on Flood and Storm Prevention and Control, Typhoon Rammasun has killed at least 6 people in Vietnam, with a further 3 reported as still missing since it made landfall on Saturday 19 July in the north-eastern province of Quang Ninh.
The typhoon also caused severe flooding in northern regions of the country with some areas of Yên Bái Province seeing over 200mm of rain in 24 hours from Saturday 19 to Sunday 20 July 2014. The heavy rain caused numerous landslides, as well as river levels to rise quickly, in particular the Kỳ Cùng river. One local media report claims that as many as 6,000 homes have been flooded in the city of Lạng Sơn. Flooding has also caused widespread damage to rice fields. Further heavy rainfall has been forecast, especially for northern regions, for the next 24 to 48 hours.
Three of the deaths were cause by lightning strikes. Two of the deaths were caused by drowning – one man was swept away by flood waters in Lang Son Province, and another in Bắc Kạn province. The other death occurred as a result of a landslide. The 3 missing people were swept away by flood waters in rivers in Lang Son and Sơn La provinces.
Floods in Lạng Sơn
Lạng Sơn thành biển nước do hoàn lưu bão #Rammasun http://t.co/quMOEvFMT9 pic.twitter.com/hXnUjv2A4x
— VnExpress (@VnEnews) July 21, 2014
