Official sources say that at least 100 have died, and 37 are missing. The water continues to rise, exceeding the levels of the record flooding in 1971. Roads and railway lines have been cut off, and thousands of homes destroyed.

Hanoi (AsiaNews) - At least 100 have died and 37 are missing following cyclone Kammuri in Vietnam, which struck the northern part of the country on August 8. The information, released today by the state news agency VNA, says that another 27 people have been injured, thousands of homes destroyed or damaged, millions of acres of crops flooded, animals carried away by the water, and roads cut off.

The hardest hit area is Lào Cai, close to the Chinese border. According to the current figures, 32 have died there, 31 are missing, and 9 injured, in addition to the destruction of hundreds of homes and 1,500 acres of crops. In the province of Yen Bai, mudslides have killed 21 people, and for others have been carried away by the waters that have invaded the area's capital city and many of its towns. Lines of communication are paralyzed in the whole province.

The rain has been the heaviest recorded in decades: in three provinces, the rivers have risen above the flood stage of 1971, and have overflowed their banks in various places. In Tuyên Quang, the water has washed away a bridge and flooded hundreds of homes, in Phu Tho it has destroyed a 20-meter section of the dike and flooded an area of 10 kilometers, cutting off highway 32. The flooding of the Red River has blocked road and railway lines between Hanoi and the provinces of Phu Tho, Yên Bai, and Lào Cai.

Aid efforts have begun, and are using all of the resources available, including those of the military, but the situation is extremely difficult.

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• flooding
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