HANOI: Flooding and landslides in northern Vietnam have killed three people, state media said Monday, after days of heavy rain that partially submerged thousands of homes.
Images on state media showed water gushing down the steep roads of mountainous Ha Giang province, a popular spot for motorcycle tours, with vehicles overturned and abandoned in the floodwater.
Residents in Ha Giang city stood on rooftops waiting for rescue.
It has been raining heavily and continuously in the province since Saturday. Thousands of homes have been partially submerged and many roads damaged, state media said.
High water on the Lo river had triggered “floods and landslides,” according to a statement on the website of the provincial authorities.
Access to three communes bordering China had been cut off due to landslides, the statement said.
According to state-run Voice of Vietnam, three people died after being swept away in floodwater or buried in landslides.
At the weekend, serious flooding was also reported in the northern port city of Hai Phong and Quang Ninh province where UNESCO World Heritage site Ha Long Bay is located.
Vietnam is frequently lashed by harsh weather in the rainy season between June and November.
Last year, natural disasters including floods and landslides left 169 people dead or missing in the Southeast Asian nation.
Scientists have warned that extreme weather events globally are becoming more intense and frequent due to climate change.
Flooding and landslides kill three in Vietnam’s north
https://arab.news/8596b
Flooding and landslides kill three in Vietnam’s north
- Residents in Ha Giang city stood on rooftops waiting for rescue
- High water on the Lo river had triggered ‘floods and landslides’
Romanian president to attend Washington ‘Board of Peace’ meeting as observer
- The board is set to have its first meeting on February 19 in Washington
- Its permanent members must pay $1 billion to join
BUCHAREST: Romanian President Nicusor Dan announced on Sunday that he would attend as observer the first meeting of US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace.”
“Next week I will take part in the first meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, responding to the invitation addressed by the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump,” Dan wrote on X, after having recently said that his country was still considering whether to join the body, of which Trump is the chairman.
The board, originally intended to oversee the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip after two years of the Israel-Hamas war, is set to have its first meeting on February 19 in Washington.
Its permanent members must pay $1 billion to join, which lead to criticisms that the board could become a “pay-to-play” version of the UN Security Council.
“Romania will have observer status and I will reaffirm our strong support for international peace efforts and our willingness to participate in the reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip,” Dan added on X on Sunday.
Earlier this week, the Romanian president told reporters that Romania is interested in taking part in the Washington talks as the country “has traditional relations with both Israel and the Arab countries in the region,” adding that “the situation in Gaza is important for Europe.”
Since Trump launched his “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, at least 19 countries have signed its founding charter.
Some countries, including Croatia, France, Italy, New Zealand and Norway, have declined to join, while others like Romania have said they could only consider doing so if its charter were changed.
