Natural disasters have claimed 280 lives and caused a total loss of approximately VND29.9 trillion (close to US$1.29 billion) to Viet Nam since the beginning of this year, according to the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.

A fisherman in Phu Vang District, Thua Thien Hue Province, stands beside his fishing boat that sunk after storm Vamco last week

The country has so far recorded 13 typhoons entering the East Sea, 114 flash floods and landslides, 86 earthquakes and 264 thunderstorms and whirlwinds while drought, saltwater intrusion and river and coastal erosion have wreaked havoc across the Mekong Delta provinces.

The natural disasters also injured 856 people and left 66 others unaccounted for. Torrential rains, floods and landslides collapsed over 3,420 houses, damaged over 327,700 and submerged nearly 509,800 others, affecting livelihoods of millions of people.

Typhoon Vamco, the 13^th storm to enter the East Sea this year which made landfall last week, has so far caused 24 people in central Viet Nam to suffer injuries, the Viet Nam Disaster Management Authority reported.

Seven houses collapsed and more than 7,500 others were damaged or had their roofs blown away. The tropical storm also sank and destroyed 27 vessels and eroded close to 39km of riverbank and sea dykes.

The storm made landfall in the central region on the morning of November 15, and weakened into a tropical depression after hitting Thua Thien-Hue Province.

Source: VNS