Death toll from flooding in Viet Nam rises, with typhoon expected this weekend

Government reports issued today say that more people in central Viet Nam have died due to floods, raising the death toll to 82 as fears of a typhoon, expected to hit the country this weekend, loom, Reuters reported today.

Provincial authorities have been asked by the government to warn people about the danger of moving as the flood water receded. Many deaths have been reported during the first part of this week while people tried to salvage wood and cross streams.

The flooding could also spread the bird flu in Quang Tri Province, an Agriculture Ministry Official said. Quang Tri is one of the four provinces that reported an outbreak of the disease among birds in the past month.

Typhoon Peipah, which entered the South China Sea on Monday, is expected to hit the central province of Khanh Hoa, the top coffee growing province in the country. Vietnamese officials have also asked the coastal provinces to warn fisherman as the typhoon heads for the coast.

Almost 200 people have been killed from storms and floods since early October.

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