Flooding, hitting Vietnam's central and northern regions since October 4, killed or left missing 67 local people as of Sunday afternoon, Vietnam's Central Television reported.

In the most severe flood in the country over the past 45 years, central Nghe An province suffered the biggest human loss with 20 deaths and 11 missing, followed by northern Hoa Binh province with eight deaths and four missing, and northern Son La province with seven deaths and three missing, the Television quoted Vietnam's Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention as reporting.

The disasters also damaged over 100,000 houses, submerged hundreds of thousands of hectares of subsidiary crops, and disrupted electricity and telecommunications system in some areas. The exact property loss caused by the floods has yet to be calculated, but must be very large, said the television.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on Sunday visited flood-prone northern Ninh Binh province, asking provincial leaders to help flood victims have enough food and soon stabilize their life. General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nong Duc Manh and Dung have required flood-hit localities actively to take more drastic measures to minimize human and property losses, and ensure enough food and medicines for flood victims.

Now, submerged roads and bad weather have caused many difficulties to evacuating flood victims and offering them relief aid.

Natural disasters, including typhoons and hails in Vietnam killed 339 people, left 274 persons missing, and injured 2,065 others in 2006. The estimated losses totaled 18.6 trillion Vietnamese dong (nearly US$1.2 billion) in the year.

(Xinhua News Agency October 8, 2007)