VietNamNet Bridge – Heavy rain in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong's Hiep An commune caused serious flooding which blocked traffic to the neighbouring city of Da Lat.

Heavy rain in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong's Hiep An commune caused serious flooding which blocked traffic to the neighbouring city of Da Lat.

Rain filled K'Ren stream and flooded about 200 houses, with water rising up to the roofs. Water also covered about 320 hectares of fields and drowned hundreds of farm animals.

"More than a tonne of gladiolus bulbs that I prepared for planting were spoilt. My gladiolus field, which was soon to be harvested, was also covered by water," said resident Nguyen Thi Sang.

The Prenn pass, which links the commune to Da Lat city, was blocked for hours due to fallen trees and landslides. Traffic returned to normal yesterday morning as commune officials traveled to the flooded area to estimate losses.

In the neighbouring commune of Lac Duong, one resident remains missing after a flood followed heavy rain and hail last Friday, the Lam Dong Steering Committee on Flood and Storm Prevention and Control reported on Monday.

Nguyen Danh Dinh, 23, from the southern province of Binh Duong, was swept away by the flood as he and a companion were riding near the Da Dum stream.

The rain and hail destroyed dozens of fields and greenhouses in the commune, causing estimated losses of more than VND16 billion (US$770,000).

Cat Tien and Bao Lam communes also lost about VND1 billion (US$48,000) due to tornadoes and heavy rain in recent days.

VNS/VNN