Vietnam floods climb to 90 dead as Kalmaegi roars through coast and highlands
Vietnam floods climb to 90 dead as Kalmaegi roars through coast and highlands
Toll rises to 90 with 12 missing as Kalmaegi batteries central Vietnam; Nha Trang submerged and Dak Lak hit by deadly landslides.
The death toll from major flooding in Vietnam has risen to 90, with 12 people still missing, after days of heavy rain and landslides. Relentless downpours have lashed south-central Vietnam since late October, swamping coastal towns and driving rivers to record levels. Whole sections of coastal Nha Trang city were inundated last week, and deadly landslides struck highland passes around the Da Lat tourist hub.
Typhoon Kalmaegi is sweeping across Vietnam, complicating rescue efforts as authorities race to deliver aid to cut-off communities while the Philippines braces for a new storm. In the hard-hit mountainous province of Dak Lak, a 61-year-old farmer, Mach Van Si, said floodwaters left him and his wife stranded on their sheet-metal rooftop for two nights. “Our neighbourhood was destroyed. Nothing was left. Everything was covered in mud,” he recalled, describing the scene as rescuers hovered nearby.
More than 60 of the deaths have occurred in Dak Lak, where tens of thousands of homes were inundated. Four communes in the province remained flooded on Sunday, and more than 80,000 hectares of rice and other crops across Dak Lak and four nearby provinces have been damaged. Officials said over 3.2 million head of livestock or poultry have died or been washed away by floodwaters, compounding the region’s humanitarian crisis. Helicopters are being used to air-drop aid to communities cut off by the floods and landslides, with tens of thousands of relief items mobilized for delivery.
As the country grapples with the disaster, Vietnam braces for Kalmaegi to move inland, with Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City anticipated to face heightened flood risks in the coming days. Local authorities have stressed the importance of rapid response and sustained relief to reach the most affected households, farmers, and small businesses that form the backbone of these communities.
People across the affected regions continue to rally support, with volunteers coordinating shelters, distributing clean water, and coordinating meal services for displaced residents. The focus now is on stabilizing relief operations, repairing damaged infrastructure, and safeguarding vulnerable populations from ongoing rainfall and potential aftershocks of Kalmaegi.
Cover image source: Vietnam flood death toll rises to 90 🔗
