Tropical storm destroys rice crops in Vietnam

Tropical Storm Mindulle came ashore in northern Vietnam, bringing heavy rain and strong winds that destroyed rice crops and blew roofs of schools and clinics.

Tropical Storm Mindulle came ashore in northern Vietnam, bringing heavy rain and strong winds that destroyed rice crops and blew roofs of schools and clinics.

Flooding submerged thousands of hectares of rice fields worth “hundreds of millions of dong,” according to a statement on the government’s website. Mindulle dumped as much as 273 millimeters (11 inches) of rain in some areas after coming ashore late yesterday, the government said.

The storm left one person seriously injured near the city of Vinh and damaged schools, houses and clinics, the government said, without providing further details. A 1,000- ton cargo boat with 12 sailors onboard was in danger of sinking off Vietnam’s east coast, the statement said.

Mindulle came ashore near the city of Vinh, south of Hanoi, just before 7 p.m. local time, the U.S. Navy Joint Typhoon Warning Center said in its final update on its website late yesterday. Winds from the storm are forecast to drop below tropical storm status as it crosses northern Vietnam toward Laos today, the center said.

Heavy rain may continue to cause flooding and landslides in mountainous areas, Vietnam’s National Centre for Hydro- Meteorological Forecasting said. – Bloomberg

Tags: Tropical storm, Vietnam rice crops