Death toll from typhoon Ketsana rises to 92 in Vietnam

Typhoon Ketsana which hit Vietnamese central and highland provinces has left 92 people dead, 19 missing and 199 injured, Vietnam News Agency reported Thursday.

Floods from the typhoon damaged or demolished nearly 180,000 homes in central Vietnam, said the report. More than 173,000 houses and 503 school rooms were flooded. The storm caused damage to over 12,000 health clinics and public works. It destroyed about 73,000 hectares of agricultural crops and industrial trees.

Heavy rains and landslides caused by the typhoon blocked roads and damaged electricity and irrigation systems.

The National Committee of Search and Rescue said it successfully rescued more than 100 people stranded in floods in two worst-hit central provinces of Quang Ngai and Kon Tum. Nearly 4,000 tons of goods were transported to these provinces to help people in the flooded areas.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade said repair works to restore the electricity systems in the affected areas have been done quickly. It hoped the Electricity of Vietnam Corporation would soon be able to connect electricity lines in all storm-hit provinces.

The Ministry of Health decided to provide more medicine and chemicals to affected provinces to help them cure injured people and treat water contaminated by the floods.

Authorities of the affected provinces in central Vietnam have made proposal that the government support about 34,000 tons of rice to help residents in the storm-hit areas.

Typhoon Ketsana swept into Vietnam on Tuesday. It hit and caused damages to 15 central and highland provinces in the country.

Source:Xinhua