Rising Death Toll in Southeast Asia Amid Severe Floods and Landslides Triggered by Heavy Rains

HANOI – The devastating impact of relentless rain in Southeast Asia continues to unfold, with floodwaters and landslides claiming more lives. On Monday, another fatality was reported in Vietnam, adding to the already grim tally, and in Thailand, five more lives were lost. The natural disaster has forced thousands to flee their homes in search of safety.

In Vietnam, the death toll has risen to 91, with 11 individuals still missing. The torrential rains that began a week ago have led to severe flooding and landslides stretching from Quang Tri to Lam Dong provinces. This affected region covers an 800-kilometer (approximately 500 miles) expanse through the nation’s central area, including its highlands.

Dak Lak province has been hit hardest, with 63 lives lost, primarily due to drowning. Other provinces such as Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Gia Lai, Danang, Hue, and Quang Tri have also reported fatalities.

The flooding has made many roads impassable, prompting authorities to deploy helicopters to deliver essential food and aid supplies, as well as to facilitate evacuations.

Following a brief respite from the rain over the weekend, locals and visitors in Nha Trang, a beloved tourist spot in Khanh Hoa province famed for its pristine beaches, rallied together to clear debris washed up by the storm. Among them was Pham Thu Huyen, joining hundreds who took part in the cleanup efforts.

“We’ve never experienced that much rain and such bad flooding,” the 45-year-old said.

Waters have also taken their toll on this year’s crops, submerging coffee farms in Dak Lak, Vietnam’s major coffee growing region.

Overall, damage so far is estimated to be around $500 million in this round of floods.

Some of the waters have now receded but Vietnam’s weather agency warned that with rains continuing in some places the risks remain, and said a new tropical depression was forming that could bring worse weather again later in the week.

Vietnam is among the world’s most flood-prone countries, with nearly half its population living in high-risk areas. Scientists warn that a warming climate is intensifying storms and rainfall across Southeast Asia, making floods and landslides increasingly destructive and frequent.

The current destruction has hit a region already battered earlier this month by floods from record rainfall and the powerful typhoon Kalmaegi.

The country was also hit by typhoons in September and October, and the International Organization for Migration announced Monday that South Korea would contribute $1 million to help Vietnam assist displaced people, communities and migrants affected by those.

The United Nations agency said that according to preliminary data, Vietnam estimates economic damage of some $1.2 billion from that period, with more than a half million homes damaged and hundreds of thousands of people evacuated and dozens killed.

In Thailand, torrential rain in the south of the country caused severe flash flooding over the weekend, affecting nearly 2 million people, officials said. Five were killed and four were injured across six southern provinces, according to regional health officials.

Ten southern provinces have been hit with heavy rainfall over the last week, and officials warned Monday that water levels are expected to rise further with the rain expected to continue through Tuesday.

The city of Hat Yai, a major economic hub in Songkhla province, was hit with 335 millimeters (more than 13 inches) of rain on Friday, the highest 24-hour figure in 300 years, officials said.

From Wednesday through Friday, the city saw 630 millimeters (nearly 25 inches) of rain, complicating evacuation efforts as hundreds of residents and tourists were trapped inside homes and hotels by rising water that forced emergency crews to use lifeboats to transport people along flooded streets.

Thailand was already hit with widespread flooding in the north earlier in the year, followed by months of flooding in the central region, which killed more than two dozen people. That flooding also caused widespread damage to farmers fields and crops, and many thousands of homes.

Malaysia is also grappling with flooding across several states that is expected to worsen as heavy, persistent rainfall continues.

The Social Welfare Department reported Monday that more than 12,500 people across nine states have been evacuated.

The worst-hit area is the northeastern state of Kelantan, which accounts for the majority of those displaced. Authorities have opened 86 temporary shelters and have warned that further rainfall is expected.

Floods are common in parts of Malaysia during the annual monsoon season, which begins in November and can last until March.

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Jintamas Saksornchai and David Rising in Bangkok, and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this story.