10 Oct 2010

Death toll rises after flooding in Vietnam

7:14 pm on 10 October 2010

The death toll from flooding in central Vietnam jumped has risen to 64 with another 19 people still missing more than a week after heavy rains struck the area.

Hardest-hit is Quang Binh province with 44 reported dead and 16 missing.

The biggest worries now are environmental contamination and a lack of clean water in the province, where eight communes are still inundated.

The national flood and storm committee in Hanoi said 100,000 people needed fresh water after the disaster.

On Friday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered condolences to the victims and said the embassy in Hanoi "has offered immediate relief assistance".

Vietnam regularly suffers from tropical storms and flooding at this time of year.