Saturday, November 27, 2004

CNEWS Headline

---Transcript from CNEWS Website---

Death toll from Vietnamese floods rises to 21

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - The death toll from floods and landslides has risen to 21 and two people remain missing following heavy rains in central Vietnam where water levels continue to rise, officials said Saturday.

Up to 125 centimetres of water has been dumped on the region over the last four days and moderate rains were reported Saturday in low-lying areas in four provinces following the worst drought since 1998, officials said.

Disaster officials in Thua Thien Hue province forecast more rain for the next couple of days.

In Quang Ngai province, some 900 kilometres south of the capital Hanoi, six people drowned Thursday, a provincial disaster official said on condition of anonymity. Three family members were killed Friday and two remained missing after a landslide destroyed their home, he said.

Five others drowned in Thua Thien Hue province, four in neighbouring Quang Tri province and three in nearby Quang Nam province, disasters officials said.

An official in Quang Nam province said some streets in ancient Hoi An town, a UNESCO cultural heritage site, were submerged but no major damage was reported.

Vietnam's north-south rail link has been interrupted in Thua Thien Hue province since Thursday, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded, an official at Hue railway station said. It was unclear when the submerged rail link would be reopened, she added.

Despite the flooding, little rain has been reported over the last few days in the nearby Central Highland province Daklak, the country's largest coffee-growing region, officials said.

The drought there is likely to reduce the province's coffee output by 20 per cent to 40 per cent, said Nguyen Huu Trung, deputy director of the provincial agriculture department.

---ENDS---

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