Death Toll Rises in Vietnam Flooding Disaster

Posted November 9th, 2011 at 6:15 am (UTC-5)
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Vietnamese authorities say 100 people are now dead due to serious flooding that has plagued the nation for weeks.

The new death toll includes 17 people killed across central Vietnam, which has been inundated with heavy rains in recent days.

Bhupinder Tomar, a representative of the International Federation of the Red Cross who is based in Hanoi, tells VOA the flood waters are beginning to recede — at least in Vietnam's central region.

More than 20,000 people have been displaced from their homes due to the disaster, which Tomar says will certainly aggravate the humanitarian crisis.

More than 800 people have been killed across Southeast Asia from unusually heavy seasonal monsoon rains. Tomar says the IFRC is trying to raise more than $2 million to help affected people with cash grants for such things as housing reconstruction, and the replacement of boats and fishing nets.