54 dead, 39 missing in Vietnam floods

At least 54 persons lost their lives and another 39 were missing, after a tropical depression hit the country earlier this week that caused heavy floods and landslides.

The floods that hit Vietnam this week are the worst in years, local media reported, quoting agriculture minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong as saying.

Heavy rain, submerged roads and broken bridges disrupted and hampered the rescue efforts in north and central Vietnam.

The storm that hit central Vietnam on Tuesday also injured 31 people and submerged more than 30,000 houses, damaged infrastructure, crops and livestock, the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority said in a statement.

A tropical storm Khanun, which swept through the Philippines on Friday morning, is moving towards Vietnam and will likely hit within the coming days bringing more heavy rainfall, national forecasters said.

The storm could bring more rain and misery to the central and northern regions already soaked by floodwaters.

Vietnam is ranked the seventh most disaster-prone country in the world, the reports said.