A tropical storm hitting Vietnam's central region since last weekend has claimed three lives, local media reported Tuesday.

A 10th-form student from Quang Tri province and a 13-year-old grade student from Ha Tinh province were drowned due to strong flooding, and a resident of Quang Nam province died on the spot when an electric pole fell onto the person, People's Army newspaper said.

Rainwater is inundating many houses, gardens, crops and road sections. By Monday afternoon, local army forces mobilized nearly 4,000 officers and soldiers, and 229 ships and automobiles to fight against the storm, the fifth striking Vietnam so far this year.

Vietnam encountered frequent occurrence of national disasters, including floods and landslides, nationwide last year, which claimed many lives and caused estimated property loss of 6.5 trillion Vietnamese dong (408.8 million U.S. dollars), according to the country's General Statistics Office.

Source: Xinhua