12 dead, thousands evacuated amid widespread flooding in Vietnam's central province

Flooding triggered by heavy rains from Storm Trami and a cold spell has claimed 12 lives, injured seven, sunk five ships, and flooded 34,000 homes in Quang Binh Province.

According to authorities in the central province, as of Thursday, Le Thuy District reported seven deaths, Quang Ninh District four, and Dong Hoi City one. Among the injured, five are from Le Thuy and two from Quang Ninh.

By Thursday afternoon, floodwaters had receded in some residential areas, but at the Kien Giang River station in Le Thuy, water levels remained at 2.35 meters. More than 1,500 homes in Le Thuy and Quang Ninh districts remain submerged, with one village still isolated.

Over the past four days, intense rains and flooding have forced the evacuation of over 9,290 families and submerged nearly 34,500 homes across the province, with Le Thuy District suffering the heaviest damage, affecting nearly 20,000 homes.

Hainan responds to extensive flooding

Extensive flooding and landslides have wreaked havoc in Hainan province, claiming seven lives as of Wednesday, as the tail of Typhoon Trami collided with a cold air mass and triggered unusually heavy rainfall for 48 hours starting on Monday.

The deaths include a student who fell into a manhole in Sanya and drowned, a mother and son who were swept away by floodwaters in Qionghai, and three others who were buried in a mountain landslide in the Qiongzhong Li and Miao autonomous county.

The trail of destruction left behind by Trami — the 20th typhoon of the year — prompted the Hainan Commission for Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief to announce a Level I emergency response for flooding and strong winds in Qionghai on Tuesday night.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Water Resources issued a Level IV emergency response to flooding in the whole province to buffer the lingering impact of the tropical storm.

China has a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe.

In Sanya, heavy rainfall on Monday and Tuesday caused extensive flooding, with the backflow of seawater further worsening the situation.

In Qionghai, the swollen Wanquan River caused severe flooding in seven towns along its banks, inundating 123 villages, according to local authorities. The Wanquan River Road was more than half a meter underwater on Wednesday morning, bringing vehicular movement to a complete halt.