Natural disasters kill or leave 386 missing in Vietnam since January

Natural disasters, including 14 typhoons and storms and many flash floods and landslides, have killed or left 386 people in Vietnam missing so far this year, and caused property losses of 2.6 billion U.S. dollars, according to the country's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Friday.

Typhoon Damrey alone, the strongest typhoon hitting Vietnam in more than 10 years, and subsequent floods in November, killed or left 123 people in the country's central region missing, injured hundreds of others, and caused losses of some 1 billion U.S. dollars.

Vietnam's northern and central region are experiencing a cold spell, while Typhoon Kai-Tak is approaching the South China Sea, the country's Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control said on Friday.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)