Death toll in Vietnam flash floods rises to 60

Hanoi: The death toll following flash floods caused by a tropical depression in central and northern Vietnam has risen to 60, authorities said Saturday, with 37 people still missing and 31 treated for injuries.

"We haven't suffered from such severe and intense floods for the past 10 years," agriculture minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong told state-run Vietnam Television.

Nearly 330 houses have been destroyed in heavy rains that began late Sunday, with nearly 34,000 homes submerged, according to reports.

Some 17,500 people have been evacuated.

Up to 700 millimetres of rain fell over four days in central and northern Vietnam. Heavy rains stopped Friday, but authorities warned that more landslides could happen, as land in the mountainous region had absorbed too much water.

Floods destroyed bridges and roads in the region, isolating many areas, while several dams have broken, submerging hundreds of houses downstream.