29 killed in landslides and flooding in Vietnam

Landslides and flooding caused by heavy rains have killed 29 people and left four missing in northern and central Vietnam.

Disaster official Ngo Van Hung of northern Yen Bai province said that 16 villagers from the mostly poor Hmong ethnic minority group died in a landslide while they were illegally collecting tin ore from a mine operated by a private company.

Authorities are searching for two other people missing from the incident, he added.

The government disaster agency said flooding killed another 13 people and left two missing in central Vietnam over the past week.

The agency says on its website that flooding caused by heavy rains has caused an estimated 22 million US dollars in damage to rice crops and infrastructure.

AP