Vietnam flood death toll rises to 90: environment ministry

The death toll from major flooding in Vietnam has risen to 90, with 12 more people missing, the environment ministry said Sunday after days of heavy rain and landslides.

More than 60 of the deaths since November 16 were recorded in mountainous central Dak Lak province, where tens of thousands of homes were flooded, the environment ministry said in a statement.

Relentless rain has lashed south-central Vietnam since late October and popular holiday destinations have been hit by several rounds of flooding.

Whole city blocks were inundated last week in coastal Nha Trang, while deadly landslides struck highland passes around the Da Lat tourist hub.

Several locations on national highways remained blocked on Sunday due to flooding or landslides, according to the environment ministry, and some sections of railways were still suspended.

More than 129,000 customers remained without electricity, after more than a million were without power last week.

The environment ministry on Sunday estimated economic losses of $343 million across five provinces due to the floods.

Natural disasters have left 279 people dead or missing in Vietnam and caused more than $2 billion in damage between January and October, according to the national statistics office.

The Southeast Asian nation is prone to heavy rain between June and September, but scientists have identified a pattern of human-driven climate change making extreme weather more frequent and destructive.