Death toll in Vietnam from Typhoon Toraji rises to 14

By Adem Salvarcioglu

ANKARA

Flash floods and landslides from Typhoon Toraji have killed 14 people in central Vietnam, local authorities said Monday.

At least four people remain missing in Khanh Hoa province, according to a disaster management officer.

Heavy rainfall and landslides have battered the province over the past few days since Toraji blew in from the South China Sea.

The bad weather also disrupted transportation as some railway services were suspended and the main highway linking north and south Vietnam was temporarily blocked.

Some 600 soldiers were dispatched to the area to search for the missing and evacuate people from high-risk areas, according to the officer.

Natural disasters have claimed at least 185 lives across the country so far this year and killed nearly 390 people in 2017, when the cost of the damage reached $2.6 billion.