Floods Kill 13, Leave 5 Missing In Vietnam

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) _ Floods triggered by heavy rains killed 13 people in central Vietnam and left five others missing over the past two days, disaster officials said Thursday. <br/><br/>Previous flooding

Thursday, November 1st 2007, 8:25 am

By: News On 6

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) _ Floods triggered by heavy rains killed 13 people in central Vietnam and left five others missing over the past two days, disaster officials said Thursday.

Previous flooding during the last two weeks killed 11 people in the region, while Typhoon Lekima killed at least 88 and left nine others missing in early October.

``It could not be worse,'' said disaster official Nguyen Thanh Phat in Quang Nam province, where two people drowned and authorities were searching for four others. ``The new floods are compounding the misery of villagers who have yet to recover from the previous floods.''

A few streets were flooded in the ancient town of Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage site, but there was no damage to its architectural landmarks, said Mayor Le Van Giang. The waters there were receding Thursday.

Six people drowned in Thua Thien Hue province, said provincial disaster official Nguyen Van Song. Nearly 8,000 people were evacuated.

Disaster officials in the provinces of Quang Ngai, Quang Tri and Quang Binh reported five deaths from the floods and one missing person.