Vietnamese authorities say four days of heavy rain in northern Vietnam has left at least 16 people dead and submerged more than 10,000 hectares of rice and other food crops.

The state committee for flood and storm prevention said Sunday at least four people are missing and more than 60 others injured in the deluge, which began Wednesday. Hundreds of homes were reported damaged.

The French news agency quotes authorities as saying 12 of the dead were killed by lighting while working in rice fields.

Vietnam's rainy season, which can last through October, ravages agriculture and claims hundreds of lives every year.